The CDC announced Friday that it has surpassed 1 million participants in its travel bio surveillance program, ‘marking a significant milestone in the United States’ ability to detect and respond to emerging public health threats at our borders.’
The agency’s Traveler-Based Genomic Surveillance (TGS) is a program that collects samples from arriving international travelers at select US airports.
A statement from the CDC said the program ‘provides early insight into emerging pathogens and variants before they spread broadly within the United States.’
The program is voluntary and anonymous and now has more than 1 million volunteers in its database.
Health and Human Services Deputy Secretary and Acting CDC Director Jim O’Neill said in a statement: ‘The United States is the world’s leading authority in public health.
‘The broad participation of travelers enhances our ability to safeguard the nation using tools that are developed, operated, and governed here at home without reliance on unaccountable global bureaucracies.’
The program was launched in 2021 and monitors for communicable diseases among international arrivals, ‘with a focus on early detection of emerging variants of seasonal respiratory viruses and other pathogens of public health concern.’
In an example, the CDC said the program reported the first two detections of influenza H3N2 subclade K, dubbed the ‘super flu’ and fueling this virus season’s severe illness, seven days before the next publicly reported sequence.
Passengers disembarking from international flights take anonymous Covid tests for study purposes at Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, New Jersey in 2023
In additional to nasal samples, the CDC has also analyzed more than 2,6000 airplane wastewater samples as part of its bio surveillance.
The CDC’s announcement added: ‘As President Trump has made clear, the United States will remain the global leader in public health by strengthening domestic capabilities, advancing health innovation, and ensuring rapid response to infectious disease threats.
‘Programs like TGS reflect that commitment by enhancing national biosecurity.’
Surveillance is taking place at eight airports in Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Boston, New York City, Newark, New Jersey, Washington, DC and Miami.
Seattle, Newark and Miami collect nasal swabs.
San Francisco collects triturator wastewater – water from a central disposal point for toilet waste collected from multiple aircraft lavatory trucks – and nasal swabs.
Los Angeles collects airplane wastewater; Boston collects triturator wastewater; Washington, DC collects nasal swabs and airplane wastewater; and New York City collects samples from all three.
When collecting nasal swabs, travelers volunteer to self-collect two nasal swab samples and complete a short survey.
The samples are then shipped to a lab and tested for ‘pathogens of public health concern.’
These include influenza A, influenza B, RSV, and SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19.
The above map shows where the CDC is collecting certain samples from international arrivals
Some samples undergo further testing to determine which strains of a virus they are, such as new variants of the flu or Covid.
Lastly, some samples are then sent to the CDC for further investigation into the variant or strain.
Wastewater is collected in two ways: from individual airplane bathrooms and from triturators.
These samples are then sent to a lab for testing. Positive samples are then further tested for variants, strains and mutations.
Previous reports resulting from the TGS surveillance include multiple new Covid variants and a new flu strain.
