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WELLINGTON, Aug.2 (Xinhua) – New Zealand’s expertise in tracking COVID-19 is applied to influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in $ 9.8 million project New Zealand dollars (US $ 6.86 million) to learn how to stop the spread of respiratory viruses, the University of Auckland said on Monday.
The two-year project, Southern Hemisphere Influenza and Vaccine Effectiveness Research and Surveillance V (SHIVERS-V), is led by the University of Auckland in collaboration with the Institute of Environmental Science and Research (ESR) and includes genomic testing virus, detective work has become routine during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Researchers will analyze thousands of swabs from patients with respiratory illnesses to find out how respiratory viruses enter and spread in New Zealand. This will help scientists model epidemics and, most importantly, design strategies to prevent them.
New Zealand is uniquely positioned to examine the reintroduction and transmission of respiratory viruses such as influenza and RSV. The success of New Zealand’s COVID-19 measures has created a new environment for this ambitious project, and its well-developed health data tracking systems facilitate research at the population level.
The current RSV outbreak is part of a respiratory disease environment unlike any New Zealand has ever seen before. Sick children fill hospital wards after social distancing and COVID-19 lockdown restrictions blocked the development of natural immunity to RSV. Scientists are also watching to see what happens next with the flu after COVID restrictions virtually wiped out the disease.
“While border restrictions are likely to be relaxed over the next two years, we will face a resurgence of respiratory viruses,” said Professor Nikki Turner, medical director of the University of Immunization Advisory Center. Auckland (IMAC). “Understanding virus patterns will help us predict and mitigate outbreaks to help protect whānau and communities in this new post-COVID world. “
South Auckland is the focus of research due to social deprivation which exacerbates the spread of disease and the risk of the international airport serving as a vector for disease transmission. Swabs of children at kohanga reo and early childhood learning centers will help establish baseline rates of respiratory disease.
Swab tests will also take place at doctors’ offices in Wellington and Auckland and the emergency department at Middlemore Hospital. People in managed isolation facilities will be tested for respiratory illnesses in addition to COVID-19.
Professor Turner and Professor Peter McIntyre, affiliated with the Universities of Otago and Auckland, will lead the study. After leading the previous SHIVERS projects from 2012 in Auckland and Wellington, ESR virologist Sue Huang will play a key role. “Expanding the SHIVERS program with information on the impact of border closures is an important next step to help fight viruses in a post-COVID world,” Huang said. Final element
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