Impact of nonpharmaceutical interventions on the burden of respiratory infections during and after the pandemic

Project objectives

This modeling consortium will explore the medium- and long-term impact of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) used during the COVID-19 pandemic on respiratory infections such as respiratory syncytial virus, influenza, and pneumococcal disease. The goal here is to develop an integrated model to simulate the transmission of various respiratory infections and the collateral effects of NPIs on their medium- and long-term disease burden. This involves working with 10 partners from Germany and Poland to use evidence synthesis and population-based surveys to better understand the dynamics of respiratory infections during and after the pandemic and to create integrated modeling and a platform for short-term predictions.

Project structure

The RESPINOW project consists of several subprojects working together to create an integrated model to simulate the transmission of various respiratory infections and to better understand the post-pandemic dynamics of these infections.

Subproject 1

Harmonization and analysis of available data to compile a global dataset on immunity markers, infection prevalence, and disease burden of respiratory infections during and after NPIs.

Subproject 2

Survey of RSV, influenza, and pneumococcal disease dynamics and contact behavior in a population-based cohort during and after the pandemic.

Subproject 3

Modeling the spread of multiple pathogens under realistic conditions to quantify the impact of specific interventions on the endemic equilibrium.

Subproject 4

Nowcasting and short-term forecasts for multiple respiratory diseases in real time.

Project managers

Dr. Berit Lange

Coordinator

Head of Clinical Epidemiology, Department of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research

PD Dr. Claudia Denkinger

Coordinator Subproject 1

Clinical Tropical Medicine, Universität Heidelberg (UHD)

Dr. Berit Lange

Coordinator Subproject 2

Head of Clinical Epidemiology, Department of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research

Dr. Viola Priesemann 

Coordinator Subproject 3

Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization, Göttingen (MPIDS)

Prof. Melanie Schienle

Dr. Johannes Bracher

Coordinators Subproject 4

Chair of Statistics and Econometrics, Institute of Economics, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)

Project partners

Dr. Nicole Schneiderhan-Marra

Subproject 2

Natural and Medical Sciences Institute, Tübingen (NMI)

Dr. Rolf Kaiser

Subproject 1,3,4

Department of Virology, Universität zu Köln (UCo)

Prof. André Karch

Dr. Veronika Jaeger

Subproject 1,2

Institute for Epidemiology and Social Medicine, Universität Münster (WWU)

Dr. Wolfgang Bock

Subproject 3,4

Department of Mathematics, Technische Universität Kaiserslautern (UKa)

Jun. Prof. Dr. Alexander Kuhlmann

Subproject 3,4

Working Group for Health Economics and Healthcare research, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU)

Prof. Rafael Mikolajczyk

Dr. Cornelia Gottschick

Subproject 1,3

Institute for Medical Epidemiology, Biometry and Informatics, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU)

Prof. Dr. Michael Höhle

Subproject 1,3,4

Immunization Prevention Unit, Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Robert Koch Institute (RKI)