Since 19 November 2025, AGES has been the new National Reference Centre for Wastewater Monitoring on behalf of the Ministry of Health. It is responsible for monitoring frequently occurring respiratory pathogens such as SARS-CoV-2, influenza A and B and RSV.
For this purpose, 24-hour composite samples are regularly taken from 20 wastewater treatment plants throughout Austria, transported under refrigeration and analysed molecular biologically in the AGES laboratories. The results - virus loads and circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants - are published on a weekly basis and also made available as open data.
The analysis of wastewater samples enables early and comprehensive detection of the incidence of infection in the population and therefore represents an important additional pillar of epidemiological monitoring.