Our study team will follow community participants, 5–17 years old, for three years. During an initial in-person study visit, parents will answer questions about their child’s health and demographics, and your child will undergo one nasal swab. Your child will be in a group of healthy children who may be called upon to contribute a nasal swab sample if they are similar in age to a sick child who enrolls in another group within the study. These swabs may be taken at home and do not require a visit in person, though an in-person visit will be available if requested.
Incentive: Families will be paid $20 for each sample collection time point.
As-Needed Samples and Surveys
Your child is in a group of healthy children who may be called upon to contribute a nasal swab if they are similar in age to a sick child who enrolls in another group within the study. A member of the study team will contact you when a swab is needed from your child, if they are healthy. We can only collect nasal samples if/when children have been free of respiratory symptoms for at least two weeks before sampling.
After you collect a sample at home, you will either mail samples to the study team in prepaid, self-addressed mailing containers, or you can drop samples off to a study team member.
Each time a sample is collected, you will also complete a very brief online Sample Collection Survey. The survey will collect information about sample collection (i.e., date, time, etc.) and your child’s present health.
When you submit an online Sample Collection Survey, the study team will schedule a Follow-Up Survey link to be emailed to you about 7 days after sample collection. The Follow-Up Survey will need to be completed 7-10 days after sample collection, and it will ask you for information about your child’s health status.