Since the Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa hit the headlines, many in the wastewater industry have asked about the potential for a variety of communicable diseases to spread through the pumping, transport and handling of septage and sludges containing human waste. Attendees at the 2015 Water & Wastewater Equipment, Treatment & Transport (WWETT) Show will hear the latest information on the topic from a World Health Organization official.

Dr. Adrianus Vlugman, senior advisor on water, sanitation and environmental health at the WHO, will speak Feb. 26 at 1 p.m. in Rooms 133-135 at the Indiana Convention Center as part of an extensive series of WWETT Show speakers and seminars. The talk on the transfer of communicable diseases is free and open to anyone.

Vlugman will provide a general overview covering the survival/life expectancy of communicable diseases in water and wastewater. Among other topics, he will cover: 

• Safety precautions to consider when handling water and wastewater in developing nations.

• The likeliness of communicable diseases to be spread or passed through both centralized wastewater plants and decentralized onsite wastewater systems.

• If there is a concern for the spread of communicable diseases through land application of properly treated sewage or septage.

If you would like to attend the WHO program, fill out the online registration form at www.wwettshow.com/who.