Now, Let's Do Environmental Surveillance Proper!
Published in Earth & Environment and Microbiology
My first paper in Springer Nature was "Investigation of the water-use behaviours of households in proximity to water canals in Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria" (https://doi.org/10.1007/s43832-025-00282-2). I had actually worked on four surface water canals, but the sheer size of the data made me publish only the results for two canals for my subsequent second paper.
Due to this, I had, and still have, extensive knowledge of the vast areas under study and even beyond, having been investigating water canals in Ekiti State, Nigeria, since 2018. Because of this, I had planned to begin extensive communication work at my firm, MicroBiotics NG (www.microbiotics.com.ng), to start sharing my findings. But a few days after my second article was published in September 2025, I received a call that changed a lot of things.
The Director of the World Health Organisation's National Polio Laboratory in UCH, Ibadan, Nigeria, where I did all my virological assays, had recommended me to a National Environmental Surveillance Officer for the same World Health Organisation for wastewater and environmental surveillance in Ekiti State.
Wastewater and environmental surveillance (WES) is disease surveillance using samples from sewage or other environmental waters impacted by human waste, having the potential to provide information alongside other forms of disease surveillance to fill gaps in other surveillance data and inform the public health response.
Because of my detailed knowledge of all those interconnected canals that cut across the city, the sites of sample collections and expertise in the collection, transportation and laboratory handling/analyses of these samples, I was recommended to Dr. Kabir. He was one of the most enthusiastic, brilliant and hard-working field officers I've ever worked with, demonstrating zeal, strength and immense knowledge while humbly and firmly leading our team, which now consisted of the State Disease Surveillance and Notification Officer and the WHO State Surveillance Officer representative.
Together, we were able to, for three days, investigate nearly 15 sites for potential ES sample collection, finally picking two sites. Of course, it was tough work, but I'm used to fieldwork and environmental surveillance. And the activity also presented an opportunity to learn so much, as Dr. Kabir took time to provide on-the-job training and even shared many journal articles with me. It was indeed a very productive and exciting activity for me, as I got to really apply the knowledge gained while carrying out my PhD research, which led to the publications provided above.
And as a public health virologist with a focus on environmental surveillance of surface water in my state, Ekiti State and beyond, I am looking forward to many more public health adventures in this area of specialisation. Most particularly, to share the knowledge and communicate more with the public about the importance of the work that I do.
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