Effectiveness of Selected NPIs in Reducing ILI among University Students

描述（由申请人提供）：在下一次人类大流行性流感的早期阶段，疫苗将有限或没有，抗病毒药物将短缺。非药物干预（NPI）可能是减少甲型流感病毒传播和保护公众健康的唯一可用策略。令人惊讶的是，很少有人知道的有效性NPI战略或大规模实施干预措施的可行性。在全球SARS爆发期间，大学对病毒传播控制提出了特殊的挑战。我们研究的主要目标是衡量选定的非药物干预措施（呼吸礼仪、手部卫生和口罩）在大型城市大学学生中预防流感样疾病（ILI）的有效性。我们将进行一项随机对照试验，以衡量NPI在预防加州大学伯克利分校学生ILI中的有效性。在2006-07年和2007-08年流感季节开始时，将招募学生并随机分配到无干预或在线NPI教育干预组。这两个小组将每周联系一次，通过简短的在线调查收集有关学生ILI症状和NPI依从性的信息。在两年的时间里，共有6 000名学生将参加这项研究。这种设计允许检查几个相关的NPI问题，这些问题共同提供了对该人群NPI的全面评估。具体目标包括：1）测量呼吸/手部卫生干预措施在减少大学生ILI方面的有效性; 2）测试学生对不同NPI建议的遵守情况，包括呼吸/手部卫生建议和口罩的使用; 3）确定甲型/B型流感病毒引起的ILI病例的比例; 4）检查NPI在减少学生家庭和密切接触者中流感继发传播方面的有效性。在流感大流行的情况下，全国各地的大学校园将被要求为学生群体实施和提供呼吸和手部卫生以及口罩使用策略的教育。这项研究的经验和结果将提供新的信息，这些策略在预防学生流感样疾病方面的有效性，以及在大学范围内实施干预和教育的可行性。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): During the early stages of the next human pandemic influenza, there will be limited or no vaccine and antivirals will be in short supply. Non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPI) may be the only available strategy to reduce influenza virus A transmission and protect the public's health. Surprisingly, little is known about the effectiveness of NPI strategies or the feasibility of implementing the interventions on a large scale. During the global SARS outbreaks, universities presented special challenges for virus transmission containment. The primary objective of our study is to measure effectiveness of selected non-pharmaceutical interventions (respiratory etiquette, hand hygiene, and face masks) to prevent influenza-like illness (ILI) among students attending a large, urban university. We will conduct a randomized controlled trial to measure NPI effectiveness in preventing ILI among students at the University of California at Berkeley. At the beginning of the 2006-07 and 2007-08 influenza seasons, students will be recruited and randomized to either no intervention or an online NPI educational intervention. Both groups will be contacted weekly to collect information on student ILI symptoms and NPI adherence through a short, online survey. A total of 6,000 students will be enrolled in the study over a two-year period. This design allows for examination of several linked NPI questions, which together provide a comprehensive assessment of NPIs in this population. Specific aims include: 1) Measure effectiveness of a respiratory/hand hygiene intervention in reducing ILI among university students; 2) Test student adherence to different NPI recommendations, including respiratory/hand hygiene recommendations and use of masks; 3) Determine the proportion of ILI cases that are caused by influenza A/B virus; 4) Examine the effectiveness of NPIs in reducing secondary transmission of influenza in student households and close contacts. In the event of an influenza pandemic, university campuses across the nation will be required to implement and provide education on respiratory and hand hygiene and mask use strategies for their student populations. The experience and results from this study will provide new information on how effective these strategies are in preventing influenza-like illness among students, and the feasibility of implementing the interventions and education on a university-wide scale.