ABOUT:
This study will help us understand how much and which strains of pneumo are present in the community. The goal is to use this information to reduce the amount of pneumococcal disease, carriage of pneumo and other respiratory pathogens.
There are other respiratory germs including Staphylococcus aureus, group A Streptococcus, and Haemophilus influenzae that can live in the nose and throat along with pneumo and we want to understand if those are present in the community as well.
Approximately 500 children younger than five years of age will be enrolled in the study over a 12-month period on Navajo Nation and the White Mountain Apache Tribal lands. Participation is completely voluntary, and parents/legally authorized representatives will sign informed consent for their child to participate. Children will have one study visit where we will collect two nasal swabs and one throat swab. Study staff will administer a questionnaire to understand if participants have risk factors for respiratory disease and will review the child’s medical record.
The swabs will be tested for pneumo and other respiratory germs. Participation in this study will NOT involve receiving any medications or vaccines and it will not impact the clinical care the participant receives. Study staff will keep all information collected about participants confidential. Results of this study can be used by the Tribes to understand how useful new vaccines against pneumo will be and to promote vaccination policies that would be best for the Navajo and White Mountain Apache people.
Facts about Streptococcus pneumoniae
- Streptococcus pneumoniae or “pneumo” is a bacterium (germ) that often lives in the nose of healthy people (called carriage).
- Sometimes carriage can lead to disease, including pneumonia, meningitis, and sepsis.
- Pneumo is an important cause of disease among children.
- There is a safe and effective vaccine that protects against disease caused by 13 strains of pneumococcus (called Prevnar13).
- Native American communities in the US have a higher burden of pneumococcal disease than the general population, even though vaccine coverage is high.
- New vaccines that protect against more strains (PCV15 and PCV20) have been licensed and recommended for adults and are expected to be available for children in the next few years.
- Data are needed so that we can better understand how effective these new vaccines will be at preventing disease.