CDPHE adds measles to public wastewater surveillance dashboard

Denver (Oct. 16, 2025) — The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment today announced the addition of measles wastewater surveillance data to its publicly available Wastewater Surveillance Data Dashboard. The expansion follows a successful pilot program that demonstrated the effectiveness of wastewater surveillance as an early warning tool for detecting measles.

The pilot program, which began in May, allowed public health officials to evaluate the testing methods and develop protocols for using the data to support a timely public health response. While in the pilot phase, a measles wastewater signal was detected in Grand Junction before any clinical cases were confirmed. This allowed CDPHE to alert local health officials in Mesa County.

“The ability to detect viruses in wastewater before we see clinical cases allows us to be proactive in our public health response,” said Allison Wheeler, Wastewater Surveillance Unit Manager at CDPHE. “This successful pilot gives us the confidence to make this information publicly available, providing Coloradans with another layer of information about disease in their communities.”

The update aligns with recent updates to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention measles wastewater dashboard and provides viral detection capacity for each area in the state. This information can assist health care providers and public health agencies in the allocation of resources and allows the general public to assess their risk of disease.

The addition of measles data expands the existing wastewater surveillance dashboard, which already provides information on a variety of viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, influenza A and B, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), enterovirus D68 (EV-D68), and mpox.

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