Tracking vaccine-preventable stomach and breathing infections in children
IP21-002, New Vaccine Surveillance Network
This project follows children with stomach (gastroenteritis) and breathing (respiratory) illnesses to track which viruses cause sickness and how well vaccines protect them.
Quick facts
| Grant type | U01 cooperative agreement |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Pittsburgh, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11138405 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Researchers will actively enroll children who come to hospitals, emergency departments, and clinics with acute gastroenteritis (AGE) or acute respiratory illness (ARI) and collect clinical information and samples. Those samples will be tested for many viruses such as influenza, RSV, SARS-CoV-2, rotavirus, norovirus, and enteroviruses to see which germs are causing illness. The team will compare illness in vaccinated and unvaccinated children over time to estimate vaccine protection and watch for declines in effectiveness. By combining data across network sites, they will measure how common each infection is and look for emerging problems like multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) or acute flaccid myelitis (AFM).
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Children who have sudden stomach or respiratory symptoms and seek care at participating hospitals, emergency departments, or clinics are the ideal candidates.
Not a fit: People without recent stomach or respiratory symptoms or those who do not use participating care sites are unlikely to be eligible or directly helped by this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could improve vaccine recommendations and speed detection of outbreaks to help prevent hospitalizations and severe illness in children.
How similar studies have performed: Other active vaccine surveillance networks have successfully tracked disease burden and vaccine protection and have informed public health vaccine decisions, so this builds on proven approaches.
Where this research is happening
Pittsburgh, United States
- University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh — Pittsburgh, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Michaels, Marian G — University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh
- Study coordinator: Michaels, Marian G
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.