Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39542652›Full record

ArticleThe Journal of infectious diseases2025

A Potential Platform for Future Vaccine Trials Identifies a High Incidence of Symptomatic and Asymptomatic Influenza Infection Among Children Aged 6 to 23 Months in South Africa.

Cheryl Cohen, Mignon du Plessis, Neil Martinson, Jocelyn Moyes, Sibongile Walaza, Nicole Wolter, Mvuyo Makhasi, Fahima Moosa, Myrna Charles, Aaron M Samuels and 9 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in The Journal of infectious diseases, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

19 authors.

Cheryl CohenCentre for Respiratory Diseases and Meningitis, National Institute for Communicable Diseases.ORCID 0000-0003-0376-2302
Mignon du PlessisCentre for Respiratory Diseases and Meningitis, National Institute for Communicable Diseases.
Neil MartinsonPerinatal HIV Research Unit, MRC Soweto Matlosana Collaborating Centre for HIV/AIDS and TB, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.ORCID 0000-0001-9186-0679
Jocelyn MoyesCentre for Respiratory Diseases and Meningitis, National Institute for Communicable Diseases.
Sibongile WalazaCentre for Respiratory Diseases and Meningitis, National Institute for Communicable Diseases.ORCID 0000-0001-8040-1717
Nicole WolterCentre for Respiratory Diseases and Meningitis, National Institute for Communicable Diseases.ORCID 0000-0002-9526-0133
Mvuyo MakhasiCentre for Respiratory Diseases and Meningitis, National Institute for Communicable Diseases.ORCID 0000-0002-7647-9463
Fahima MoosaCentre for Respiratory Diseases and Meningitis, National Institute for Communicable Diseases.ORCID 0000-0003-0281-3649
Myrna CharlesGlobal Influenza Branch, Influenza Division, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia.ORCID 0000-0003-3306-5866
Aaron M SamuelsGlobal Influenza Branch, Influenza Division, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia.ORCID 0000-0002-8355-8186
Stefano TempiaInfluenza Program, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Pretoria, South Africa.ORCID 0000-0003-4395-347X
Tumelo MoloantoaPerinatal HIV Research Unit, MRC Soweto Matlosana Collaborating Centre for HIV/AIDS and TB, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Bekiwe NcwanaPerinatal HIV Research Unit, MRC Soweto Matlosana Collaborating Centre for HIV/AIDS and TB, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Louisa PhalatsePerinatal HIV Research Unit, MRC Soweto Matlosana Collaborating Centre for HIV/AIDS and TB, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Amelia BuysCentre for Respiratory Diseases and Meningitis, National Institute for Communicable Diseases.ORCID 0009-0002-5694-9074
Alicia FryEpidemiology and Prevention Branch, Influenza Division, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia.ORCID 0000-0002-3208-9308
Eduardo Azziz BaumgartnerGlobal Influenza Branch, Influenza Division, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia.ORCID 0000-0001-8038-0530
Anne von GottbergCentre for Respiratory Diseases and Meningitis, National Institute for Communicable Diseases.ORCID 0000-0002-0243-7455
Jackie KleynhansCentre for Respiratory Diseases and Meningitis, National Institute for Communicable Diseases.ORCID 0000-0001-7081-6273

Funding

National Health Laboratory ServiceNational Institute for Communicable DiseasesNCIRD CDC HHS U01 IP001048US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 1U01IP001048
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundApproaches for determining whether influenza vaccination prevents infection, attenuates illness, or both are important for developing improved vaccines. We estimated influenza infection incidence and evaluated symptom ascertainment methodologies in children to inform future vaccine trial design.

methodsWe conducted a prospective cohort study among children aged 6 to 23 months from May to October 2022. Study nurses collected symptom and temperature data and midturbinate nasal swabs twice weekly irrespective of symptoms; caregivers entered symptom data daily and collected nasal swabs weekly. Samples were tested for influenza with polymerase chain reaction.

resultsOf 230 healthy screened children, 93 were enrolled, of whom 87 (94%) completed 6-month follow-up. In total, 95% (4245/4476) of scheduled nurses, 90% (2045/2276) of caregiver swabs, 99% (92/93) of baseline blood collections, and 67% (9245/13 768) of scheduled symptom diaries were completed. Polymerase chain reaction-confirmed influenza incidence was 65% (60/93) for ≥1 infection; 11 (18%) individuals had 2 episodes and 1 (2%) had 3. Of 73 episodes, 55 (75%) had ≥1 symptom and 37 (51%) had fever (measured and/or reported). Median infection duration was 7 days (IQR, 4-9). Human RNase P gene was detected in 99% (2032/2045) of caregiver-collected swabs, through which 5 additional episodes were identified. Per episode, caregivers' diaries of reported and measured fever were 19% (25/73, 34%) and 11% (15/73, 21%) higher than nurse-reported (11/73, 15%) and nurse-measured (7/73, 10%) fever, respectively.

conclusionsThe incidence of influenza infection was high and mainly symptomatic, suggesting that this platform could be suitable for future trials of vaccine efficacy and correlates of protection against infection and illness in children.

Indexed as

Asymptomatic InfectionsInfluenza, HumanInfluenza VaccinesFemaleHumansIncidenceInfantMaleProspective StudiesSouth AfricaVaccinationInfluenza VaccinesinfluenzaSouth Africasymptomstransmissionvaccine

Identifiers

PMID39542652
PMCPMC11841623

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.