CARE-ID: Dynamics of Respiratory Infections in Children and Transmission in Households and Schools

April 30, 2026 updated by: Michelle Science, The Hospital for Sick Children
Viral respiratory tract infections are very common in children. They contribute to missed time in school, work disruption for caregivers and can also cause severe illness requiring hospitalization and rarely death. In the 2022-2023, influenza, RSV and SARS-CoV-2 viruses infected a large number of children which strained the pediatric healthcare system in many jurisdictions. Unfortunately, there continues to be limited data on duration of infectiousness and transmission risk of these viruses to inform public health decisions during times when there is significant circulation of these viruses.

Study Overview

Status

Active, not recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

500

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Canada
    • Ontario
      • Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5G 1X8
        • The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids)

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child
  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Individuals with acute symptomatic influenza, RSV, SARS-CoV-2, mycoplasma pneumoniae, or bordetella pertussis infection identified through hospital testing (inpatient, outpatient, staff household members) or the school-based take-home saliva testing program.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

Viral dynamics (primary outcome):

  • The child must be less than 18 years of age
  • Have a positive PCR sample for influenza, RSV or SARS-CoV-2,
  • Have any one of the symptoms listed to meet testing eligibility: fever, cough, shortness of breath, decreased or loss of taste or smell, muscle aches/joint pains (unusual, long lasting, not related to injury), extreme tiredness (unusual fatigue not otherwise explained), sore throat, runny or stuffy/congested nose, headache (new, unusual, long-lasting), nausea/vomiting and/or diarrhea, and
  • Be within 5 days of symptom onset

Household testing inclusion criteria (secondary outcome):

-Any individual in the same household (i.e. household contacts, defined as residing at the same address) as the individual testing positive by PCR for influenza, RSV, SARS-CoV-2, mycoplasma pneumoniae, or bordetella pertussis

Classroom testing inclusion criteria (secondary outcome):

-Any individual in the same classroom (i.e. classroom contacts) as the individual testing positive by PCR for influenza, RSV, SARS-CoV-2, mycoplasma pneumoniae, or bordetella pertussis (i.e. case identified through the THS program)

Exclusion Criteria:

Viral dynamics (primary outcome):

-Participants will be ineligible if they are more than 5 days from symptom onset

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
To describe the viral dynamics of influenza, RSV and SARS-CoV-2 over time among children <18 years of age.
Time Frame: 14 days
The correlation between symptom onset and symptom resolution and viral load for each virus will be described.
14 days

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
To assess the impact of various host factors on viral dynamics
Time Frame: 14 days
The correlation between host factors and viral dynamics will be explored.
14 days
To assess the frequency of influenza, RSV, SARS-CoV-2, mycoplasma pneumoniae and bordetella pertussis transmission in households.
Time Frame: Within 14 days of case identification
The number of household contacts that are tested and test positive for the same respiratory virus (influenza, RSV, SARS-CoV-2, mycoplasma pneumoniae, bordetella pertussis) will be described.
Within 14 days of case identification
To examine the risk factors for influenza, RSV, SARS-CoV-2, mycoplasma pneumoniae and bordetella pertussis transmission in households
Time Frame: Within 14 days of case identification
The correlation between household characteristics and transmission of each of the viruses will be explored.
Within 14 days of case identification
To assess the frequency of influenza, RSV, SARS-CoV-2, mycoplasma pneumoniae and bordetella pertussis transmission in classrooms.
Time Frame: Within 14 days of case identification
The number of classmates in the classroom that are tested and test positive for the same respiratory virus (influenza, RSV, SARS-CoV-2, mycoplasma pneumoniae, bordetella pertussis) will be described.
Within 14 days of case identification
To examine the risk factors for influenza, RSV, SARS-CoV-2, mycoplasma pneumoniae and bordetella pertussis transmission in classrooms
Time Frame: Within 14 days of case identification
The correlation between classroom characteristics and transmission of each virus in classrooms will be explored.
Within 14 days of case identification

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

The Hospital for Sick Children

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Michelle Science, The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids)

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

October 10, 2024

Primary Completion (Actual)

April 2, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

May 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

October 10, 2024

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

October 10, 2024

First Posted (Actual)

October 15, 2024

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

May 1, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 30, 2026

Last Verified

April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 1000081729

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Plan Description

Data elements will be made available by request with appropriate documentation and approvals.

IPD Sharing Time Frame

Data will be made available once the study is complete and published.

IPD Sharing Access Criteria

upon request with appropriate approvals

IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type

  • STUDY_PROTOCOL
  • SAP
  • ICF
  • CSR

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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