Audrey Dubot-Pérès of the Lao-Oxford-Mahosot Hospital-Wellcome Trust Research Unit (LOMWRU) in Lao PDR will establish a pilot respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) genomic surveillance system to determine disease burden and monitor strain circulation in Lao PDR. RSV is the leading cause of viral pneumonia in young children in low-income countries. Accurate data on disease burden, transmission and viral evolution are critical to successfully introduce emerging vaccines and therapies. Leveraging their experience as a national center for SARS-CoV-2 genomic surveillance, they will develop an RSV genomic sequencing protocol using samples collected from children at two central and four provincial hospitals. They will also investigate whether RSV RNA can be purified directly from rapid diagnostic tests to improve surveillance in remote areas. The data will be displayed on a national health dashboard. If successful, their approach could be expanded into a national surveillance system.
This grant is one of three grants that are funded and administered by the Programme for Research in Epidemic Preparedness and Response (PREPARE) in Singapore.