# CK21-003, Oregon Child Absenteeism due to Respiratory Disease Study - 3

> **NIH ALLCDC U01** · UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON · 2022 · $1,308,119

## Abstract

SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Background: Influenza (Flu) is common in children and a leading cause of school absenteeism.
SARS-CoV-2 (SARS) has emerged as a significant pathogen, but the role of children in post-peak
and post-pandemic transmission needs to be defined. Both viruses cause substantial morbidity,
mortality and economic costs. As Flu is efficiently spread within school settings, rates of
absenteeism have been proposed as an early warning system. Accordingly, we created and
tested a simple modification of an existing electronic school information system (ESIS) to
automatically report cause-specific absenteeism. We found a significant association between
cause-specific K-12 school absenteeism and prevalence of medically-attended Flu in our six-year
study, allowing for Flu monitoring and early warning for acceleration in community activity.
We have also documented substantial within-household Flu transmission. Similar studies—
using our established and effective methods—are needed for the newly emerged coronavirus,
SARS. Program Goal: The goals of ORCHARDS-3 are to expand the absenteeism system to
evaluate the effectiveness for SARS monitoring and to describe the level of within-household
transmission of Flu and SARS from index cases who are school-aged children. Methods: We
will use parental reporting of symptoms into a telephonic absence reporting system and an
algorithm within the ESIS for daily absenteeism assessment. We will actively recruit ≥300
children absent due to Flu-like illness (ILI) or COVID-like illness (CLI) from the Oregon School
District, Dane County, WI, in each of three years. Home visits will be used to collect detailed
demographic, household, epidemiologic and symptom data, and nasal and NP/OP specimens
for testing. Nasal specimens will be tested for Flu/SARS using SOFIA-2 FIA rapid testing.
NP/OP specimens will be transported to the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene for
Flu/SARS rRT-PCR testing and for the presence of other respiratory viruses using a Luminex
Multiplex PCR platform. We will recruit ≥240 households/yr with ill children for transmission
assessment. All household members will self-collect nasal specimens on day 0, 7 and 14 for
Flu/SARS rRT-PCR and provide detailed illness data. Temporal patterns of absenteeism due to
ILI and CLI will be compared to virological surveillance within the surrounding community.
Rates of within-home transmission of Flu and SARS will be calculated. Significance:
Transmission and amplification within schools, followed by transmission from children to other
household members likely expands outbreaks. Cause-specific absenteeism monitoring of Flu
and SARS may provide early detection in a community allowing for use of countermeasures.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10468590
- **Project number:** 5U01CK000630-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON
- **Principal Investigator:** JONATHAN L TEMTE
- **Activity code:** U01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** ALLCDC
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $1,308,119
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2021-09-01 → 2023-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10468590

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10468590, CK21-003, Oregon Child Absenteeism due to Respiratory Disease Study - 3 (5U01CK000630-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10468590. Licensed CC0.

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