Determining the Causes and Outcomes of Febrile Illness in Health Care Facilities in Rural South and Southeast Asia as Part of the SEACTN Network: Work Package B

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are studying acute febrile illness in patients older than 28 days who live in rural areas of Laos, Myanmar, Thailand (including the Thai-Myanmar border region), and Bangladesh. This observational study aims to describe the causes, clinical outcomes, and host biomarkers associated with these illnesses, which last 14 days or less. The study is part of a larger community-based network seeking to improve understanding and future interventions for febrile illness in low- and middle-income countries in South and Southeast Asia. The study involves two main parts: Work Package A collects data from village health workers and local health facilities to understand the incidence and outcomes of febrile illness at the community level. Work Package B recruits patients seeking care at higher-level health facilities who may be more severely ill. In Work Package B, researchers collect various samples including venous blood and respiratory specimens for detailed diagnostic testing such as blood cultures, serological assays, molecular diagnostics, and host biomarker assays. Participants will be monitored for about one month to measure the prevalence of pathogens and recovery status. The study will analyze the association between host biomarkers and clinical outcomes to help create electronic decision-support tools for village health workers. These tools and other interventions will be tested later to improve assessment, triage, and treatment of patients with febrile illness. The total duration of participation and follow-up is approximately one month.

Causes and Outcomes of Febrile Illness in Health Facilities in Rural South and Southeast Asia