Concerns about the spread of H5N1, also known as bird flu, are rising nationwide. In Southern Nevada, a dedicated team at UNLV is at the forefront, working to keep our community informed and protected. Scientists from the wastewater program are now adding bird flu to the diseases they monitor.

“This is probably the first time to our knowledge that a program like this has been deployed in an urban city looking at storm drains where individuals are living in these areas,” said Edwin Oh, Ph.D., associate professor at the UNLV School of Medicine.

Wastewater is an early warning system for COVID and other diseases, and a collaborative effort in Nevada appears to be the first in the nation to detect a new strain of the disease — known as FLiRT.

A rising health concern in our valley is mainly affecting 20 to 25 year olds. We're talking about sexually transmitted diseases. STD levels for that age group have doubled since last year. UNLV's wastewater testing program is now monitoring sexually transmitted diseases. Channel 13's Abel Garcia sat down with the program leader to find out more about their efforts to prevent the problem from becoming worse.

COVID-19 is still a concern nationwide. And now, two new variants are showing up here in the valley. Scientists have nicknamed the new variants FLIRT after their mutations.

The Superbug, known for its resistance to anti-fungal medications has been found in elevated levels in our city's wastewater. Back in January, the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services reported the highest number of cases we have seen in Southern Nevada. We talked to the doctor who is leading waste water monitoring here in the valley to find out more about this alarming trend, along with patients hearing about the risks. 

COVID-19’s latest variant is on the loose, but local experts think vaccines can mitigate its spread and severity.

COVID-19’s new variant has yet to show up in Southern Nevada, according to the latest wastewater data.