# Enhanced Surveillance for New Vaccine Preventable Diseases

> **NIH ALLCDC U01** · TEXAS CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL · 2020 · $1,505,484

## Abstract

Project Summary:
Texas Children's Hospital (TCH) aims to establish an inpatient and emergency department surveillance
site as part of the larger national New Vaccine Surveillance Network (NVSN) to assess the burden of
pediatric respiratory and gastrointestinal illnesses in hospitalized children and children seeking care in
the emergency department. Specifically, we will assess the burden of influenza and assess the vaccine
effectiveness (VE) against laboratory-confirmed influenza infections among hospitalized children <18 years of
age during influenza season. We will also operate year-round surveillance of other non-influenza pathogens,
including but not limited to respiratory syncytial virus, human metapneumovirus, parainfluenza virus, rhinovirus,
and emerging respiratory pathogens, such as enterovirus D68, in children <5 years of age. In addition, we will
assess the burden of other gastrointestinal pathogens such as norovirus and adenovirus. TCH is an ideal site
for surveillance due the large number of admissions each year (>39,000), racial and ethic diversity of
the Houston area, and the similarity of the TCH population to that of the community. Nasal and throat
swabs will be collected from all subjects and tested for a wide-array of viral pathogens using molecular
methods in the laboratory of Dr. Piedra, a national expert in pediatric respiratory disease. Stool specimens
will undergo molecular testing in the TCH clinical laboratory for a wide-array of pathogens. Children
who test positive for influenza, or other viruses, will be compared with children who test negative for influenza,
or other viruses, and healthy (control) children who present to Texas Children's Pediatrics practices for well-
child care. Complete vaccination histories will be obtained for all children and influenza VE will be calculated.
The large number of children admitted to TCH with influenza (100->300 annually) will permit VE assessments
by specific strain of influenza, vaccine type (live vs. inactivated), and patient age. In addition, a birth cohort
longitudinal study (optional component) will build a valuable repository of maternal and infant samples
and contribute to the understanding of the natural history of ARI and AGE illnesses in early life, the
interaction of maternal and infant pathogen exposure and immunity, and the assessment of host,
pathogen and environmental factors, including immunization, in the infant's risk for infection and
severity of disease.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9970358
- **Project number:** 5U01IP001054-05
- **Recipient organization:** TEXAS CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL
- **Principal Investigator:** Julie Anne Boom
- **Activity code:** U01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** ALLCDC
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $1,505,484
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2016-09-01 → 2021-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9970358

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9970358, Enhanced Surveillance for New Vaccine Preventable Diseases (5U01IP001054-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9970358. Licensed CC0.

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