Reducing Respiratory Virus Transmission in Bangladeshi Classrooms
- Conditions
- SARS-CoV2 InfectionRespiratory Viral InfectionInfluenza Viral Infections
- Interventions
- Device: UV Germicidal Irradiation Lamp UnitDevice: Box Fan
- Registration Number
- NCT06247059
- Lead Sponsor
- Stanford University
- Brief Summary
This study will test if affordable air cleaning devices (box fans with a filter attached and/or ultraviolet light lamps) installed in classrooms can reduce the number of viral respiratory illnesses schoolchildren experience.
- Detailed Description
This cluster-randomized controlled trial in Bangladesh schools will examine whether low-cost air filtration and/or human-safe ultraviolet germicidal light interventions can reduce the incidence of schoolchildren's respiratory viral infections. The main study objectives are:
1. Pilot and optimize an intervention to filter classroom air.
2. Pilot and optimize an intervention to treat classroom air with ultraviolet light.
3. Assess the separate and combined effect of air filtration and ultraviolet light on the incidence of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) confirmed illness from respiratory viruses.
Methods: The study will take place in 60 government primary schools in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Within each enrolled school, 5 classrooms of students in grades 3, 4 and 5 will be randomly assigned to receive:
1. Box fans with a filter attachment.
2. 220 nanometer (nm) wavelength ultraviolet light air cleaner lamps.
3. Both the box fans with a filter and the 220 nm ultraviolet lamps.
4. No device: a control group that receives no additional device ("standard of care"). Two classrooms within each school will be assigned as controls.
Why does this matter?: Clarifying the impact of low-cost practical solutions could support the adoption of these strategies that could reduce influenza and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) transmission in schools in order to reduce the burden of respiratory illness in these communities.
Recruitment & Eligibility
- Status
- NOT_YET_RECRUITING
- Sex
- All
- Target Recruitment
- 20000
- Schoolchildren of Bangladesh Government-run primary schools in Dhaka, Bangladesh ages 9 - 12 years, of all gender identifiers (male, female, transgender, prefer not to designate), without specific ethnic selection amongst standard school children of Bangladesh government schools in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
- School children of non-Bangladesh Government-run primary schools and/or schoolchildren who do not attend a Bangladesh Government-run primary school in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
- School children who are not able to or have a contraindication with the ability to comply with study procedures.
Study & Design
- Study Type
- INTERVENTIONAL
- Study Design
- PARALLEL
- Arm && Interventions
Group Intervention Description UV Germicidal Irradiation Lamp Unit UV Germicidal Irradiation Lamp Unit Classrooms receive UV germicidal irradiation lamp unit(s). Box Fan Box Fan Classrooms receive box fans equipped with a filter.
- Primary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method Total number of symptomatic respiratory illness episodes due to either Influenza or SARS- CoV-2 Over 40 weeks of observation Study personnel will visit each school twice weekly. They will identify any students within the study classrooms who were absent or who have symptoms consistent with the World Health Organization (WHO) definition of influenza like illness. For children who were absent or who have symptoms, study personnel will visit the child's home, and if the student's parent provides informed consent, collect more detailed information on signs and symptoms, and a throat swab from the child. The throat swab will be placed on viral transport media, placed on ice and transported to the One Health Laboratory at the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b). One aliquot from the specimen will be analyzed for Influenza A, Influenza B, and SARS-CoV-2. In the laboratory, nucleic acid in the throat swab specimen will be extracted and one-step real-time (RT)-PCR conducted to assess the presence of RNA from Influenza A, Influenza B or SARS-CoV-2.
- Secondary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method Total number of symptomatic SARS-CoV2 episodes Over 40 weeks of observation Study personnel will visit each school twice weekly. They will identify any students within the study classrooms who were absent or who have symptoms consistent with the WHO definition of influenza like illness. For children who were absent or who have symptoms, study personnel will visit the child's home, and if the student's parent provides informed consent, collect more detailed information on signs and symptoms, and a throat swab from the child. The throat swab will be placed on viral transport media, placed on ice and transported to the One Health Laboratory at icddr,b. One aliquot from the specimen will be analyzed for SARS-CoV2. In the laboratory, nucleic acid in the throat swab specimen will be extracted and one-step real-time RT-PCR conducted to assess the presence of RNA from SARS-CoV2.
Total number of symptomatic influenza episodes Over 40 weeks of observation Study personnel will visit each school twice weekly. They will identify any students within the study classrooms who were absent or who have symptoms consistent with the WHO definition of influenza like illness. For children who were absent or who have symptoms, study personnel will visit the child's home, and if the student's parent provides informed consent, collect more detailed information on signs and symptoms, and a throat swab from the child. The throat swab will be placed on viral transport media, placed on ice and transported to the One Health Laboratory at icddr,b. One aliquot from the specimen will be analyzed for Influenza A or Influenza B. In the laboratory, nucleic acid in the throat swab specimen will be extracted and one-step real-time RT-PCR conducted to assess the presence of RNA from Influenza A or Influenza B.
Total number of student absentee episodes Over 40 weeks of observation Study personnel will visit each school twice weekly. They will identify any students within the study classrooms who were absent.
Total number of symptomatic influenza-like illness episodes Over 40 weeks of observation Study personnel will visit each school twice weekly. They will identify any students within the study classrooms who were absent or who have symptoms consistent with the WHO definition of influenza like illness.