RISE

The Caribbean region has been underrepresented in respiratory infection studies, leaving a critical gap in our understanding of local transmission and impact of these infections. This lack of comprehensive data has hindered our ability to identify and prioritize susceptible sub-populations for vaccination effectively.

Two third of all children visiting St. Maarten Medical Center (SMMC), the hospital on the Dutch side of St. Maarten, suffer from a respiratory tract infection. The RISE team aims to define which viruses are associated with this high disease burden, and to understand what risk factors and pathophysiological mechanisms contribute to the high burden of respiratory infections. To this extend, we run several sub-studies:

• RISE-prospective: Prospective mucosal sampling of children admitted with respiratory infections in SMMC.
• RISE-ENT: Immunological analysis of cells isolated from adenoids/tonsils in children undergoing adenoidectomy and/or tonsillectomy in SMMC.
• RISE-surveillance: Retrospective data collection of children with respiratory infections presenting to and/or hospitalized in SMMC.
• RISE-DIRECT: Evaluate diagnostic workup of respiratory infections and address the value of current use of viral PCR testing and future mucosal sampling.
• RISE-climate: Investigate the impact of climate factors (humidity, rainfall, Sahara dust) on the occurrence and severity of respiratory infections in SMMC.