INTERACT

Overview

Tunisia's AI4PEP team is partnering with the Ministry of Health to build an AI-driven wastewater surveillance system that is transforming how the country detects and responds to disease outbreaks before they reach crisis point.

Waterborne diseases pose a persistent and often invisible threat to public health, particularly in rural and underserved communities where monitoring infrastructure is limited and outbreak signals go undetected until it is too late. Without timely, reliable data, health authorities struggle to plan effective responses.

By analyzing wastewater samples from 21 treatment plants across Tunisia spanning data from 2017 to 2024 the team has built an AI-powered dashboard that tracks trends, detects priority pathogens including Salmonella, viruses, and parasites, and predicts potential outbreaks before they escalate. Biannual sampling campaigns launched in 2025 continuously feed the system with fresh data, while a publicly accessible website ensures that insights reach communities and decision-makers alike not just major cities, but rural and underserved areas too.

The result is a scalable, equitable model for AI-enabled public health preparedness one that democratizes access to critical health intelligence and empowers Tunisian authorities to act early, act fairly, and save lives.