18/06/2026
Welcome to Noor Ul Hudda’s public PhD defence on ‘The Sewer as a Sentinel: Advancing Wastewater-Based Epidemiology through Methodological Optimisation and Multi-Pathogen Surveillance in Belgium’.
In this thesis, we optimised laboratory methods for wastewater surveillance and applied them to monitor SARS-CoV-2, enteric viruses, hepatitis E virus, antimicrobial resistance genes, and waterborne parasites in Belgium. Our findings revealed continuous viral circulation not fully captured by clinical reporting and a substantial discrepancy between estimated and reported hepatitis E infections, demonstrating the potential of wastewater as a versatile public health surveillance tool.
Supervisor: Prof. Peter Delputte
26/06/2026 | 1:30pm | Campus Drie Eiken, Promotiezaal Q.002