Clinical trial NCT05620953: Severe Acute Respiratory Infections (SARI) in Belgium (2011-2020)
Official title: Severe Acute Respiratory Infections Surveillance in Belgium (2011-2020, Prior to COVID-19 Pandemic)
Study type: OBSERVATIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Conditions: Influenza Viral Infections
Respiratory Viral Infection
Severe Acute Respiratory Infection
Keywords: sentinel surveillance
Lead sponsor: Sciensano
Sponsor class: OTHER_GOV
Collaborators: name: Belgian Federal Public Service, Food Chain Safety and Environment
name: Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Saint Pierre
name: AZ Sint-Jan AV
name: Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel
name: Grand Hôpital de Charleroi
name: Jessa Hospital
name: Centre Hospitalier Universitaire UCLouvain Namur
First posted: 2022-11-17
Enrollment: 12145
Sex: ALL
Standard ages: CHILD
ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Observational model: CASE_ONLY
Time perspective: RETROSPECTIVE
Sampling method: NON_PROBABILITY_SAMPLE
Study population: Patients admitted to one of the 6 participating hospital during the season surveillance dates.

Brief summary: The Belgian Severe Acute Respiratory Infections network (BELSARI-net) was implemented during the influenza season 2011-2012 following the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO) to monitor severity of influenza viruses in hospitals. The network is composed of 6 hospitals throughout the country, two in each administrative region (Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels-Capital), and operates during the influenza epidemic period (from the last week of December or first/second week of January to the third/last week of April, depending on when influenza virus circulation is detected by the general population, based on the Influenza-like illness (ILI) network of general practitioners).

Enrollment is performed for all cases matching the SARI case definition (based on WHO's case definition) and accepting to take part. A respiratory specimen is sampled systematically from each participant, and detailed clinico-epidemiological data, such as information on age, sex, symptoms and potential risk factors such as pregnancy or comorbidities (chronic respiratory diseases, asthma, chronic cardiovascular diseases, renal insufficiency, obesity, diabetes, hepatic or renal insufficiency, immunodeficiency, neuromuscular disease, pregnancy) is also collected. Participants are followed up during hospitalization for the occurrence of complications (detection of pneumonia based on chest radiography, development of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), requirement for respiratory assistance and/or for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), admission in intensive care unit (ICU)), or death (all-cause death).

The current project includes all the samples received by the Belgian National Influenza Centre (NIC) during the influenza seasons 2011-2012 till 2019-2020.


Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* All pediatric and adult patients admitted to one of the 6 sentinel hospitals during the active surveillance and fulfilling the case definition of acute respiratory infection with onset within the last ten days, with history of fever or measured fever of ≥38°C, with cough and/or dyspnea, and overnight hospitalization.

Exclusion Criteria:

* nosocomial infection, i.e. symptoms appearing after admission

Primary outcomes:
measure: Number of participants positive for influenza viruses
timeFrame: within 10 days after symptom onset
measure: Number of participants positive for non-influenza viruses
timeFrame: within 10 days after symptom onset (only routinely tested since influenza season 2015-2016)
measure: Number of participants who died during hospitalization
timeFrame: from date of hospital admission until date of death during hospitalization or date of hospital exit
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Number of participants with at least one known risk factor
timeFrame: on date of hospital admission
measure: Number of participants who experienced at least one complication
timeFrame: from date of hospital admission until date of death during hospitalization or date of hospital exit
Other outcomes:
Locations:
Study officials:
References:
citation: Subissi L, Bossuyt N, Reynders M, Gerard M, Dauby N, Lacor P, Daelemans S, Lissoir B, Holemans X, Magerman K, Jouck D, Bourgeois M, Delaere B, Quoilin S, Van Gucht S, Thomas I, Barbezange C. Spotlight influenza: Extending influenza surveillance to detect non-influenza respiratory viruses of public health relevance: analysis of surveillance data, Belgium, 2015 to 2019. Euro Surveill. 2021 Sep;26(38):2001104. doi: 10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2021.26.38.2001104.
citation: Fischer N, Dauby N, Bossuyt N, Reynders M, Gerard M, Lacor P, Daelemans S, Lissoir B, Holemans X, Magerman K, Jouck D, Bourgeois M, Delaere B, Quoilin S, Van Gucht S, Thomas I, Barbezange C, Subissi L. Monitoring of human coronaviruses in Belgian primary care and hospitals, 2015-20: a surveillance study. Lancet Microbe. 2021 Mar;2(3):e105-e114. doi: 10.1016/S2666-5247(20)30221-4. Epub 2021 Jan 27.
citation: Subissi L, Bossuyt N, Reynders M, Gerard M, Dauby N, Bourgeois M, Delaere B, Quoilin S, Van Gucht S, Thomas I, Barbezange C. Capturing respiratory syncytial virus season in Belgium using the influenza severe acute respiratory infection surveillance network, season 2018/19. Euro Surveill. 2020 Oct;25(39):1900627. doi: 10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2020.25.39.1900627.
citation: Fischer N, Moreels S, Dauby N, Reynders M, Petit E, Gerard M, Lacor P, Daelemans S, Lissoir B, Holemans X, Magerman K, Jouck D, Bourgeois M, Delaere B, Quoilin S, Van Gucht S, Thomas I, Bossuyt N, Barbezange C. Influenza versus other respiratory viruses - assessing severity among hospitalised children, Belgium, 2011 to 2020. Euro Surveill. 2023 Jul;28(29):2300056. doi: 10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2023.28.29.2300056.