What bugs are making Alberta kids sick?

Cochrane mom Jenna Leach is the parent of an energetic young child. Her son Colin is seven months old and recently received his third set of immunizations as part of the provincial vaccination program. Included in the schedule for Colin was a vaccine administered by mouth that can prevent rotavirus infection, a nasty illness that causes a lot of discomfort including vomiting, fever and diarrhea.  

“I think these vaccinations are absolutely necessary, we are firm believers that vaccines do save lives and allow for a healthier childhood. People don’t always realize the seriousness of these viruses until they’ve been personally affected,” says Leach.

The rotavirus vaccine was introduced into Alberta’s routine immunization schedule three years ago and since its introduction there’s been a dramatic drop of cases in the province. Similar to rotavirus, norovirus also causes vomiting and diarrhea in children. However, unlike rotavirus, there is no vaccine available to prevent this illness, although there are some vaccines entering late phases of development.

Eyes High postdoctoral scholar's project examines norovirus

Gillian Tarr, PhD, is one of the many researchers at the University of Calgary working to improve vaccinations. She’s an epidemiologist and an Eyes High 2018 postdoctoral scholar. She works with the Alberta Provincial Pediatric EnTeric Infection TEam (APPETITE), which was created to improve the identification and detection of enteric viruses and bacteria in the province. One of Tarr’s projects is to examine the province-wide infection rate of the norovirus.

“At the end of the project, we want to be able to tell policymakers how many kids these viruses bring into the emergency room each year, as well as the total number of visits and hospitalizations that they are causing,” says Tarr.  

“Tarr’s project is extremely important because it will be the first to quantify how common norovirus is in the population. This knowledge will be used to determine the vaccine’s target population and the importance of its implementation once available,” says Dr. Stephen Freedman, a clinician scientist who developed the APPETITE team and is supervising Tarr's project. Freedman is an associate professor  at the Cumming School of Medicine and a paediatric emergency medicine physician at the Alberta Children’s Hospital.

30,000 Alberta kids hospitalized every year for viral infections

The APPETITE team tracks provincial infection rates by using an expanded and highly sensitive nucleic acid-based testing system. The system, introduced three years ago, has found infectious agents in children previously considered untestable, which has led to important diagnoses in children across the province.

About 30,000 children are hospitalized for intestinal infections in Alberta every year. In the past, health practitioners didn’t always know which specific virus or bacteria caused the illness. With projects such as Tarr’s, there will be more information that can be used to improve outcomes at a patient and population level once new vaccines are ready.

“This province has the advantage of being unified under one health care system, which makes large-scale data analysis possible. That, combined with APPETITE, positions the province as an excellent place to study the burden of viral gastroenteritis,” says Tarr.

As for Leach and her baby, they are going to continue their routine immunization visits, as she sees this as the best way to protect her child. Tarr’s project will continue for two years and the final results will be provided to healthy policy advisors in the province.  

Support for this project comes from Alberta Health Services through the Maternal, Newborn, Child and Youth Strategic Clinical Network and the Emergency Strategic Clinical Network. The project builds on data collected as part of a grant funded by Alberta Innovates.

Stephen Freedman is an associate professor in the Department of Paediatrics in the Cumming School of Medicine, a member of the O’Brien Institute for Public Health, the lead of the Healthy Outcomes Theme at the Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute, and the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation Professor of Child Health and Wellness.

Gillian Tarr completed her master's in infectious diseases at John Hopkins University and her doctorate at the University of Washington.