Study title: The Febrile Illness Evaluation in a Broad Range of Endemicities

Lead Researcher(s): Katharina Kranzer,Ioana Olaru, Salome Manyau, Justin Dixon

Funder(s): UKAID

Partner(s): London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Programme, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Barcelona Institute for Global Health, Lao-Oxford-Mahosot Hospital-Wellcome Trust Research Unit, Manhiça Health Research Centre

Background

Across sub-Saharan Africa and Asia, one of the most common symptoms to prompt someone to seek healthcare or be admitted to hospital is fever. With limited diagnostic facilities the cause of fever can be difficult to determine, and often patients are given antibiotics they may not need.

Study aim(s)

To identify the causes of fever, and the antimicrobial susceptibility of bacterial pathogens causing fever, in low- and middle-income country settings where few data are available.

Study Design

The FIEBRE study will investigate the causes of fever in four countries: Zimbabwe, Lao PDR, Malawi and Mozambique. The results will help to inform updated, evidence-based algorithms for the management of febrile illnesses and provide data that may be used to design new diagnostics and rational approaches to disease surveillance. These outputs will ultimately help health systems and providers to provide more appropriate care to patients and lead to better clinical outcomes. In Zimbabwe, the FIEBRE study has contributed to the detection of ciprofloxacin-resistance in Salmonella Typhi which will lead to collaborations with the National Microbiology Reference Laboratory.

Duration