The study uses the globally recognised Clinical Characterisation Protocol (CCP) of the International Severe Acute Respiratory and Emerging Infection Consortium (ISARIC). The ISARIC CCP is a pre-approved, adaptable research framework designed to enable rapid, standardised data and sample collection during emerging infectious disease outbreaks.
The study is a partnership between the Pandemic Sciences Institute at the University of Oxford, the University of Liverpool, the University of Edinburgh, the University of Glasgow, and the UKHSA.
ISARIC have been responding to infectious disease outbreaks for more than 15 years, and the CCP has been activated in the past for Ebola, Lassa fever, COVID-19, severe hepatitis in children, and mpox. The CCP enables better understanding of these infections: when do people become infectious and for how long; who gets sick; how does disease progress; and what are the risk factors for severe disease?
Building on this preparedness, the new study has been activated rapidly in response to the current situation. Individuals whose repatriation to the UK was coordinated by UKHSA after potential exposure to Andes hantavirus have consented to provide important clinical data and samples, such as blood.