We are using historical data on clinical, epidemiological, and virological features of fever patients to improve understanding of influenza and other respiratory infections in adults.
Acute respiratory infections (ARI) are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Most of the work to describe the epidemiology of respiratory viruses has been in children. In this project we are studying the features of patients seeking care for febrile illness in polyclinics in Singapore, to better understand the epidemiology, virology and clinical characteristics of febrile illness in adults. These data were collected as part of the early dengue infection and outcome (EDEN) study. In this project, we will be re-testing respiratory swab samples from the EDEN study with more sensitive multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) diagnostics, to identify viruses responsible for febrile illness. We will use genetic information on these viruses to improve understanding of their evolutionary dynamics. We will also use the available information on these fever patients to describe the clinical and epidemiological features of these viral infections in adults. The study results will provide important insights to better prepare for emerging epidemics and public health emergencies in Singapore.
Collaborators
- Duke-National University of Singapore Graduate Medical School (Duke-NUS)
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