Reducing Respiratory Virus Transmission in Bangladeshi Classrooms
For patients and families
In plain language
An automatic summary of structured registry data. It is an orientation aid, not a substitute for the official protocol or a physician assessment.
- What is being studied
- The protocol lists: Box Fan, UV Germicidal Irradiation Lamp Unit, Combined: Box Fan and UV Germicidal Irradiation Lamp Units.
- Who it may be relevant to
- Registry conditions: SARS-CoV2 Infection, Influenza Viral Infections, Respiratory Viral Infection. Basic parameters: 9 years — 12 years · All.
- What needs checking
- Age, condition and sex are only basic indicators. Prior treatment, laboratory values and other mandatory requirements appear in the eligibility criteria below.
- Where it takes place
- Center list to be confirmed — check the primary protocol.
- Next step
- Save the trial, show it to the treating physician, and confirm current recruitment with the study center. Costs, documents and travel →
Unsure about the terms? Read our patient guide →
Overview
This study will test if affordable air cleaning devices (box fans with a filter attached and/or ultraviolet light lamps) installed in classrooms can reduce the number of viral respiratory illnesses schoolchildren experience.
Detailed description
This cluster-randomized controlled trial in Bangladesh schools will examine whether low-cost air filtration and/or human-safe ultraviolet germicidal light interventions can reduce the incidence of schoolchildren's respiratory viral infections. The main study objectives are:
1. Pilot and optimize an intervention to filter classroom air. 2. Pilot and optimize an intervention to treat classroom air with ultraviolet light. 3. Assess the separate and combined effect of air filtration and ultraviolet light on the incidence of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) confirmed illness from respiratory viruses.
Methods: The study will take place in 60 government primary schools in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Within each enrolled school, 5 classrooms of students in grades 3, 4 and 5 will be randomly assigned to receive:
1. Box fans with a filter attachment. 2. 220 nanometer (nm) wavelength ultraviolet light air cleaner lamps. 3. Both the box fans with a filter and the 220 nm ultraviolet lamps. 4. No device: a control group that receives no additional device ("standard of care"). Two classrooms within each school will be assigned as controls.
Why does this matter?: Clarifying the impact of low-cost practical solutions could support the adoption of these strategies that could reduce influenza and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) transmission in schools in order to reduce the burden of respiratory illness in these communities.
Interventions
- Device Box Fan
Classrooms assigned to this arm will be equipped with 2 - 8 box fans each with a single minimum efficiency reporting value-14 (MERV-14) filter sufficient to increase effective air changes per hour to 12 based on the clean air delivery rate measured in cubic feet per minute of the box fan + filter \* 60 divided by the room volume. - Device UV Germicidal Irradiation Lamp Unit
Classrooms assigned to this arm will be equipped with one or two 222nm wavelength light ultraviolet germicidal irradiation lamp units (number of units per classroom based on room volume). - Device Combined: Box Fan and UV Germicidal Irradiation Lamp Units
Classrooms assigned to this arm will be equipped with both box fans and UV germicidal irradiation lamp units.
Primary outcome measures
- Total number of symptomatic respiratory illness episodes due to either Influenza or SARS- CoV-2 [Time frame: Over 40 weeks of observation]
Secondary outcome measures (4)
- Total number of symptomatic influenza-like illness episodes [Time frame: Over 40 weeks of observation]
- Total number of symptomatic influenza episodes [Time frame: Over 40 weeks of observation]
- Total number of symptomatic SARS-CoV2 episodes [Time frame: Over 40 weeks of observation]
- Total number of student absentee episodes [Time frame: Over 40 weeks of observation]
Eligibility criteria
Inclusion criteria
- Schoolchildren of Bangladesh Government-run primary schools in Dhaka, Bangladesh ages 9 - 12 years, of all gender identifiers (male, female, transgender, prefer not to designate), without specific ethnic selection amongst standard school children of Bangladesh government schools in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Exclusion criteria
- School children of non-Bangladesh Government-run primary schools and/or schoolchildren who do not attend a Bangladesh Government-run primary school in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
- School children who are not able to or have a contraindication with the ability to comply with study procedures.
Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.
Healthy volunteers: Yes
Study design
- Allocation
- Randomized
- Model
- Parallel assignment
- Masking
- Single blind
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
Study locations
Center list to be confirmed — check the primary protocol.
Identifiers
NCT: NCT06247059 · 73657