Surveillance towards preventing paediatric incidence of respiratory syncytial virus attributable respiratory tract infection in primary and secondary/tertiary healthcare settings in Merseyside, Cheshire and Bristol, UK.

INTRODUCTION: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a common respiratory virus, particularly affecting children, and can cause respiratory infections such as croup and bronchiolitis. The latter is a leading cause of paediatric hospitalisation within the UK. Children <3 years of age and/or with underlying health conditions are more vulnerable to severe RSV infection.There are currently limited data on the incidence of laboratory-confirmed RSV, particularly within primary care settings and outside the typical 'RSV season', which in the Northern hemisphere tends to coincide with winter months. There is also a lack of data on the health economic impact of RSV infection on families and healthcare systems.This observational surveillance study aims to collect data on the incidence of laboratory-confirmed RSV-attributable respiratory tract infection (RTI) in children aged <3 years presenting to primary, secondary or tertiary care; it also aims to estimate the health economic and quality of life impact of RSV-attributable infection in this cohort. Such data will contribute to informing public health strategies to prevent RSV-associated infection, including use of preventative medications. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: Parents/carers of children <3 years of age with RTI symptoms will consent for a respiratory sample (nasal swab) to be taken. Laboratory PCR testing will assess for the presence of RSV and/or other pathogens. Data will be obtained from medical records on demographics, comorbidities, severity of infection and hospitalisation outcomes. Parents will complete questionnaires on the impact of ongoing infection symptoms at day 14 and 28 following enrolment. The primary outcome is incidence of laboratory-confirmed RSV in children <3 years presenting to primary, secondary or tertiary care with RTI symptoms leading to health-seeking behaviours. Recruitment will be carried out from December 2021 to March 2023, encompassing two UK winter seasons and intervening months. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethical approval has been granted (21/WS/0142), and study findings will be published as per International Committee of Medical Journal Editors' guidelines.

Changes in perceptions of teaching quality in secondary schools in Rwanda during the COVID-19 global pandemic and the subsequent closing and reopening of schools.

The stability of measures of teaching quality is essential for making generalizations of results stemming from these measures to other teaching situations. However, no research has examined the effects of unexpected situational factors on the stability of these measures. Therefore, the purpose of this two-phase quantitative research study was to examine the following aspects among secondary school teachers in Rwanda, using a score-validated, multiple-dimension measure: (a) perceptions of teaching quality (PTQ) prior to the onset of the COVID-19 context (Phase 1; descriptive and correlational design); and (b) the extent to which COVID-19 and the subsequent closing and reopening of secondary schools affected PTQ among STEM teachers in Rwanda, and the associations between these changes in PTQ and selected socio-demographic/locational variables (Phase 2; descriptive and correlational research design). Phase 1 findings revealed that two measures of cultural values (i.e., Attitudes Towards Cultural Values Scale, Inculcating Cultural Values Scale, respectively) generated the most positive attitudes, whereas the Satisfaction with Resources and Material Subscale yielded the least positive attitudes. Phase 2 findings revealed that for four of the nine PTQ scales/subscales, the COVID-19 context negatively affected PTQ. These findings provide compelling evidence of the importance of monitoring PTQ, especially during times of crises. Moreover, these findings have implications for Rwandan educational policymakers, Rwandan administrators, teacher training administrators, and, above all, the teachers themselves, as they all seek to maximize teaching quality in Rwandan secondary schools.

Increased Residential Clustering of COVID-19 Cases Associated With SARS-CoV-2 Variant of Concern B.1.1.7.

BACKGROUND: The emergence of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) B.1.1.7 variant in England in 2020 and subsequent global spread emphasized the need to understand epidemiologic characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 variants. A diagnostic proxy for this variant, referred to as S-gene target failure, provided a rich dataset to assess transmissibility of the variant in an analysis of clustering in residential settings. METHODS: We used a pair-matched case-control study design to estimate odds of onward transmission within households with S-gene target failure index cases versus nontarget failure index cases. We defined cases as the index in a household cluster (clustered case) and controls as a case with no subsequent household cluster (sporadic). We matched clustered and sporadic cases one-to-one on specimen week, geography, and property type. We used conditional logistic regression, adjusting for age, sex, ethnicity, and symptom status, to assess odds of residential clustering. RESULTS: Our study population comprised 57,244 individuals with specimen dates from 23 November 2020 to 4 January 2021. Crude analysis yielded 54% increased odds (odds ratio [OR] = 1.5; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.5, 1.6) of residential clustering associated with S-gene target failure; the association remained in the fully adjusted model (OR = 1.6, 95% CI = 1.5, 1.6). Stratified analyses by region showed increased odds of residential clustering associated with target failure in all regions apart from the Southwest, where we observed lower precision. Similar adjusted odds ratios with precise confidence intervals remained in stratified analyses by property category. CONCLUSION: We observed increased odds in all property types, consistent with greater transmissibility of the B.1.1.7 variant in this high-risk setting.

Using educational transitions to estimate learning loss due to COVID-19 school closures: The case of Complementary Basic Education in Ghana.

Learning loss is expected for millions of children who have been out of school as a result of the current COVID-19 pandemic. Unfortunately, it is uncertain how much learning will be lost and how wide the gaps may be for disadvantaged children. This paper uses a unique longitudinal dataset to estimate learning loss during a three-month transition from Complementary Basic Education to government schools in Ghana. Our results show an average learning loss of 66 % of previous learning gains in foundational numeracy during this transition period. More importantly, we estimate widening gaps in learning loss according to lack of home learning support, as well as lack of home learning resources. Our results have implications for the provision of learning activities and support at home, not just during current school closures due to COVID-19, but also during transitions between academic years.

Advancing measurement and research on youths' prosocial behavior in the digital age

Widespread access to digital and social media has drastically altered the nature of youth's interpersonal connections. In this context, the opportunities children and adolescents have to help people around them are rapidly evolving. In this article, we review emerging literature on how digital media influences youth's prosocial development in new ways. Then we propose the next steps for advancing the field's understanding of youth's prosocial behavior in the digital age. We advocate for extending existing measures to capture experiences that are increasingly relevant for children and adolescents today, with a focus on current events, including the COVID-19 pandemic, and social and political activism. We also provide a research agenda to advance the understanding of prosocial development. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)