Evaluating the Impact of Non-pharmaceutical Measures on the Incidence of Influenza-like Illness (ILI) among K-12 Students in the United States

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The project aims to evaluate the impact of non-pharmaceutical measures (NPIs) on incidence of influenza-like infections (ILI) among K-12 students in the United States via multi-year community randomized trials. The NPIs of interest will include at least one social distancing measure of interest, and an improved personal hygiene (hand washing and/or alcohol-based hand sanitizer use) and environmental hygiene practice (cleaning of frequently touched surfaces) within schools. The social distancing measures of interest include, but are not limited to, (1) reducing class size to allow for increases in space between students to at least 3 ft, and (2) reducing duration of the school day (e.g. by offering a certain proportion of daily school instruction via remote learning systems). Additionally, use of disposable medical face masks can be included as a source control measure for students exhibiting respiratory symptoms with or without fever while at school. The outcomes of interest include (1) incidence of ILI-associated student absenteeism and (2) incidence of laboratory-confirmed respiratory infections as detected by multiplex PCR assay.

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