Since the Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa hit the headlines, many in the wastewater industry have asked about the potential for various communicable diseases to spread through the handling of wastewater. Attendees at the 2015 Water & Wastewater Equipment, Treatment & Transport Show will hear the latest information on the topic from a World Health Organization official.

Dr. Adrianus Vlugman, WHO senior advisor on water, sanitation and environmental health, 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 and 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 likelihood of communicable diseases to be spread or passed through both centralized wastewater plants and decentralized onsite wastewater systems.

Whether there is a concern for the spread of communicable diseases through land application of properly treated sewage, biosolids or septage.

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