From daycare to college, the back-to-school season almost always correlates to one thing: a rise in respiratory illnesses. In late summer, when children are returning to their classrooms, outbreaks of illnesses like strep throat, influenza, COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) become more common, and schools can quickly become amplifiers of community transmission. These infections can spread rapidly through contact with surfaces where the virus or bacteria is present, like desks, staircase railings and even supplies shared across classrooms. A lack of preventative measures, including people not covering their noses or mouths when coughing or sneezing, further contributes to the spread of the infections.

Diagnostic tests play a critical role in staying safe during these peak outbreak seasons, as children are being sent back to school. By helping to diagnose illnesses, patients can then receive the proper treatment and help prevent the spread to more vulnerable populations. Additionally, diagnostic tests provide critical data for epidemiologists and scientists preparing for future outbreaks. As respiratory illnesses increase during this season, diagnostic tests are some of our most crucial tools.

The role diagnostics can play

Whether deciding to test at home or in urgent or primary care settings, efficient and accurate diagnostics are critical. Rapid diagnostics can be antigen- or molecular-based and often provide results in fifteen to twenty minutes. Rapid influenza diagnostic tests (RIDTs) can help clinicians quickly and accurately diagnose flu cases and have been shown to help reduce the length and severity of outbreaks.

Additionally, certain treatments for respiratory infections, like Tamiflu (oseltamivir), are most effective when administered within a couple of days of symptom onset. Early diagnostics can help ensure timely treatment of symptoms.

Can we predict respiratory illness outbreaks?

Unfortunately, there is no crystal ball for predicting future respiratory illness outbreaks. But data from diagnostic tests, among other monitoring systems, can provide key insights for scientists in helping communities be as prepared as possible. Researchers at the University of Wisconsin found that monitoring school absenteeism could help predict higher volumes of the flu in certain communities. Absences, often due to symptoms like a fever or cough, may serve as a warning sign of a respiratory illness outbreak even before data from clinical tests.

In addition to school monitoring, epidemiologists in the Northern Hemisphere will often look to data from the Southern Hemisphere to gain insight into what the upcoming respiratory illness season may entail. As the Northern Hemisphere approaches its peak respiratory illness season, the Southern Hemisphere is emerging from it. Data from the Southern Hemisphere may not be an exact match, but it can be a helpful indicator of strains or diseases that may be on the rise, or how severe a particular outbreak may be.

In the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tracks diagnostic results, emergency room visits and hospitalizations to monitor potential peaks as well as levels of infectious disease in wastewater and can provide readouts in a nearly real-time manner. The results from this monitoring can help inform communities so they can take the necessary precautions (such as increased access to diagnostic tests and other health measures) that can help reduce outbreaks.

Keeping ourselves and our communities safe

Rapid and accurate diagnostics are vital in getting patients the right treatment, but they are equally helpful in preventing patients from receiving the “wrong” treatment. Determining the symptoms can help avoid the overuse of antibiotics, a significant contributing factor to the growing problem of antibiotic resistance, a pressing global health issue where antibiotics are no longer effective in treating bacterial infections. It has recently been warned that the overuse of common antibiotics such as amoxicillin and ciprofloxacin is particularly accelerating resistance worldwide, underscoring the urgent need for rapid and accurate diagnostic testing to ensure these medications are prescribed only when truly necessary.

While many people often only experience minor symptoms from a respiratory illness, these viruses can pose serious risks to immunocompromised people, including young children and older adults, as well as people with autoimmune conditions and those undergoing chemotherapy. Without intervention, a respiratory illness outbreak can spread through a community rapidly, putting more vulnerable people at risk of a severe and potentially fatal infection. Early, rapid diagnostics for respiratory illnesses can help individuals receive the right treatment and ensure communities take the proper precautions, which can help protect immunocompromised people from contracting the illness.

While schools can serve as a hotbed for the viruses that cause respiratory illnesses, they are also one of the most useful places to conduct surveillance. As families prepare for the new school year, the lesson is clear: early and rapid diagnostics are not just tools for helping patients get the right treatment but are also the frontline in preventing the spread across communities.

This article is discussed on The Podcast by KevinMD: Understanding the unseen role of back-to-school diagnostics.

Kevin King is a health care executive.