Burden of Diseases Potentially Preventable by Maternal Immunization in Sub-Saharan Africa

The study is examining whether mothers who are infected with Group B Streptococcus (GBS), Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), Influenza and Pertussis (together referred to as GRIP infections) during pregnancy and generate antibodies pass on these antibodies to their unborn baby and whether these are protective from death and infant infections after birth. Participants will be pregnant women, recruited before 28 weeks of gestation (before the viability cut-off) and followed through pregnancy until birth. Their infants will also be followed for the first year of life to document incidence of GRIP infections through clinical assessment and laboratory confirmation. Participants will be visited in their homes or at health facilities after enrolment and socio-demographic, morbidity and an asset data will be collected from them. When the pregnancy terminates, labour and birth history will be collected and the infant will also be entered into morbidity surveillance together with the mother. Research assistants will administer a morbidity form at monthly intervals from 28 weeks for the pregnant woman and her infant when born. Any participant who is taken ill during the follow-up will be brought by a study vehicle upon notification of the study team, and treated by the study clinicians. Where indicated, blood or urine samples of the mother will be collected for culture or PCR tests and for serology. When the results of these tests are ready, they will inform the management of the participant's illness but treatment will not be delayed for the results of the study. similarly infants with signs and symptoms of Lower respiratory tract infection or severe upper respiratory tract infection will be brought in by the study team for management and sample collection. It will be between carried out 2018 to 2021