Long-term surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 in the school community from Campo Grande, Brazil

• Published in: BMC public health Vol. 24; no. 1; pp. 2057 - 12
• Main Authors: Alcantara, Daniel Maximo Correa, Dos Santos, Camila Maria, Torres, Jaire Marinho, Stutz, Claudia, Vieira, Camila Aoyama, Moreira, Raissa Mariele Dos Santos, Rodrigues, Rudielle, Marcon, Glaucia Elisete Barbosa, Ferreira, Eduardo de Castro, Mendes, Flavia Maria Lins, Sarti, Elaine Cristina Fernandes Baez, de Oliveira, Thiago Fernandes, Lemos, Everton Ferreira, Andrade, Ursulla Vilella, Lichs, Gislene Garcia de Castro, Demarchi, Luiz Henrique Ferraz, Zardin, Marina Castilhos Souza Umaki, Gonçalves, Crhistinne Cavalheiro Maymone, Guilhermino, Jislaine de Fátima, Fernandez, Zoraida Del Carmen
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central Ltd 31.07.2024; BioMed Central; BMC
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adolescents; Age; Brazil; Brazil - epidemiology; Child; Children; Consent; Cough; COVID-19; COVID-19 - diagnosis; COVID-19 - epidemiology; COVID-19 vaccines; Demographic aspects; Economic aspects; Educational aspects; Emergency response; Epidemics; Epidemiology; Female; Gene sequencing; Genomic surveillance; Health aspects; Health care disparities; Humans; Hunger; Immunization; Infections; Male; Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children; Municipalities; Nutrient deficiency; Pandemic; Pandemics; Pharyngitis; Private schools; Questionnaires; Registration; Regression models; SARS-CoV-2; School closings; School closure; School closures; School community; Schools; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Social aspects; Students; Surveillance; Urban areas; Viral diseases; Whole Genome Sequencing; Brazil; Pandemic; School community; Genomic surveillance; School closure; Epidemiology
• ISSN: 1471-2458; 1471-2458
• DOI: 10.1186/s12889-024-19555-x

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted education systems worldwide, with Brazil being one of the countries with the longest school closures. Over a million children and teenagers have been affected, leading to increased hunger and nutritional deficiencies. This study aimed to implement long-term surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 infections in public and private schools in Campo Grande, Brazil, after returning to in-person classes. The study involved testing and genomic surveillance at 23 public and private schools in Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, from October 18, 2021 to November 21, 2022. The participants eligible for enrollment were students aged 6-17 years and staff members from school institutions. At the time of collection, participants were asked if they had symptoms in the last two weeks. Whole-genome sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 was conducted to identify circulating variants and to compare them with those detected in the municipality. The demographic data and clinical history of the participants were described, and a logistic regression model was used to understand how the RT-qPCR results could be related to different characteristics. The study included 999 participants, most of whom were women. A total of 85 tests were positive, with an overall positivity rate of 3.2%. The dynamics of case frequency were consistent with those observed in the municipality during the study period. The most common symptoms reported were cough, rhinorrhea, headache, and sore throat. Symptoms were significantly associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Eleven lineages were identified in school community samples, with a frequency of occurrence per period similar to that found in the sequences available for the municipality. The most prevalent lineages within the sampling period were BA.2 (59.3%) and BA.5 (29.6%). Our findings demonstrate that schools can play a crucial role in epidemiological surveillance, helping trigger rapid responses to pathogens such as SARS-CoV-2. Long-term surveillance can be used to track outbreaks and assess the role of children and adults in transmission. It can also contribute to pandemic preparedness, enabling a rapid response to emergencies, such as COVID-19.