Impact of respiratory virus infections in school settings and evolving possible strategies for prevention

Chair(s)

• 

  Olivia Almendares, MSPH (she/her/hers)

  Epidemiologist
  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  Atlanta, Georgia, United States

Session

Description: Disruptions to in-person learning during the COVID-19 pandemic led to widespread learning loss, widening gaps in educational inequities, and worsening mental and physical health. Thus, maintaining a healthy school environment is critical to maximize in-person learning and keep students and staff safe. Presentations will review a range of topics focused on primary and secondary schools to describe respiratory virus transmission, cause-specific absenteeism monitoring as an early warning indicator for increased respiratory virus circulation, potential interventions to reduce spread of respiratory viruses, and a review of how the medical community can support infectious disease school preparedness. First, multi-pathogen respiratory surveillance in students and staff attending pre-K – 12th grade schools will be discussed to understand the burden of asymptomatic and symptomatic respiratory infections and transmission. Next, use of cause-specific absenteeism monitoring as an early warning signal of increased respiratory illness activity in schools and the surrounding community will be reviewed. The third speaker will describe detection of respiratory viruses in bioaerosol sampling in K-12 schools and discuss possible use of air sampling for respiratory viruses in K-12 schools as an additional metric for public health stakeholders when considering how to reduce the number of respiratory virus associated absences in schools. The final speaker will cover the importance of infectious disease preparedness for schools including ways the pediatric research and medical community can support preparedness for schools, describe the everyday actions schools can take to prevent the spread of infectious diseases and additional strategies for use during times of elevated illness activity.

Presentations:

• 3:45 PM – 3:52 PM ET

  National Surveillance of Respiratory Infections in Children, 2010-2023
  

  Speaker: Olivia M. Almendares, MSPH (she/her/hers) – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• 3:52 PM – 4:00 PM ET

  Epidemiologic results of school-based surveillance to monitor respiratory illnesses and viral detections
  

  Speaker: Jennifer Schuster, MD – Children's Mercy Kansas City
• 4:00 PM – 4:07 PM ET

  Epidemiologic results of school-based surveillance to monitor respiratory illnesses and viral detections
  

  Speaker: Jennifer L. Goldman, MD, MS (she/her/hers) – Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics
• 4:07 PM – 4:22 PM ET

  Illness-associated absenteeism monitoring in schools, an early warning system for infectious diseases for communities
  

  Speaker: Jonathan L. Temte, MD/PhD (he/him/his) – University of Wisconsin - School of Medicine and Public Health
• 4:22 PM – 4:37 PM ET

  Continuous bioaerosol sampling with viral testing to detect respiratory pathogens in schools
  

  Speaker: Shelby O'Connor, PhD (she/her/hers) – University of Wisconsin-Madison
• 4:37 PM – 5:15 PM ET

  Approaches to school infectious disease preparedness and strategies for use during increased illness activity post-pandemic
  

  Speaker: Susan Hocevar Adkins, MD (she/her/hers) – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention