Jennifer L. Goldman, MD
Professor of Pediatrics, University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine; Research Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, University of Kansas School of Medicine
Full BiographyJennifer E. Schuster, MD, MSCI
Program Director, Infectious Diseases Fellowship; Professor of Pediatrics, University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine; Education Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, University of Kansas School of Medicine
Full BiographyRangaraj Selvarangan, PhD, BVSc, DABMM, FIDSA, FAAM
William R. Brown, Missouri Endowed Chair; Director, Clinical Microbiology & Virology Laboratories; Director, Emerging Infections, Children's Mercy Research Institute; Professor of Pathology, University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine; Clinical Professor of Pathology, University of Kansas School of Medicine
Full BiographyJennifer L. Goldman, MD, and Jennifer E. Schuster, MD, Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, and Rangaraj Selvarangan, PhD, Division of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, were recently awarded a one-year, $6.1 million contract from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for their project entitled “Epidemiology of Symptomatic and Asymptomatic Respiratory Viruses and Evaluation of COVID-19 and Influenza Vaccine Effectiveness in K-12 Schools.”
Known as “School KIDS (Knowledge of Infectious Diseases in Schools),” the project will evaluate 800 students and 200 staff members in the large school district of North Kansas City Schools to determine the burden of respiratory virus infections (RVI).
“Most respiratory virus infections, while common, are unlikely to be identified using traditional surveillance approaches, which focus on medically attended acute respiratory infections” says Dr. Schuster. “School-associated RVI can lead to absenteeism, loss of learning, staffing shortages and school shutdowns in the most severe outbreaks. Understanding the burden of RVI in schools is important to capture the overall burden of RVI in children and identify opportunities for intervention and risk mitigation in the school setting.”
As part of their project for CDC, the team will calculate the burden of asymptomatic RVI by performing testing at least monthly (and more frequently, if needed) for viruses such as SARS-CoV-2, influenza, respiratory syncytial virus, human metapneumovirus, parainfluenza virus 1-4, seasonal coronaviruses, adenovirus, and rhinovirus/enterovirus. They will also perform on-demand symptomatic testing for students/staff in the school district throughout the school year and collect information on the COVID-19 and influenza vaccine history from parents and participants. Participation in the study is optional and all testing offered on a voluntary basis.
“The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted how little we know about infections in schools,” says Dr. Goldman. “We are excited to have this opportunity to learn more about what types of infections circulate in the school setting. This information is so important, especially as we see the circulation and seasonality of viruses and infections changing post-COVID.”
"Laboratory confirmation using advanced molecular testing provides accurate information on respiratory viruses causing respiratory viral syndrome in school setting and informs public health recommendation for safe learning in school environment," says Dr. Selvarangan, who directs the Emerging Infections program at the Children’s Mercy Research Institute.
You can learn more about the project on its School KIDS Program page.