Tracking vaccine-preventable respiratory and stomach infections in children
IP21-002 Enhanced Surveillance for New Vaccine Preventable Diseases
This project looks for the causes of respiratory and stomach illnesses in children to see how vaccines and new viruses change who gets sick.
Quick facts
| Grant type | U01 cooperative agreement |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Vanderbilt University Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Nashville, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11138406 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If your child comes to a participating clinic with cough, fever, vomiting, or diarrhea, the team may ask to collect nose and stool samples to test for viruses. Tests will target known causes like influenza, RSV, rotavirus, and norovirus, and also look for newer or re-emerging viruses such as SARS-CoV-2 and enterovirus D68. The research will record vaccination history and follow illness outcomes to see how often vaccinated children still get these infections. Data will be gathered across seasons at participating medical centers to track changing patterns and vaccine effects over time.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are children who come to a participating clinic or hospital soon after developing respiratory or gastrointestinal symptoms and can provide nasal or stool samples.
Not a fit: People without recent respiratory or gastrointestinal symptoms or who live far from participating sites are unlikely to join or benefit directly from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could help improve vaccine strategies and reduce serious respiratory and gastrointestinal illness in children.
How similar studies have performed: Existing surveillance networks have successfully tracked influenza and SARS-CoV-2 and informed vaccine updates, but ongoing pediatric surveillance for emerging pathogens and vaccine performance remains needed.
Where this research is happening
Nashville, United States
- Vanderbilt University Medical Center — Nashville, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Halasa, Natasha Bassam — Vanderbilt University Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Halasa, Natasha Bassam
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.