Influenza and the PIPP Project
Influenza ("the flu") is a disease caused by a virus that can cause severe illness, especially in young children, older adults, pregnant women and anyone with a history of heart and lung problems. The Pittsburgh Influenza Prevention Project (PIPP) helped students, families and schools prevent sickness due to flu.
The Pittsburgh Influenza Prevention Project was a large and complex project, which required substantial teamwork. It reflects an unprecedented level of cooperation between a university research team and a school district. We at the Graduate School of Public Health of the University of Pittsburgh are pleased to recognize our partners at the Pittsburgh Public Schools: Dr. Mark Roosevelt, Janet Yuhasz, and Barbara Rudiak, along with the principals, teachers, school nurses and all the office and support staff from our schools, and the PPS Institutional Review Board staff.
Background
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) awarded the University of Pittsburgh’s Graduate School of Public Health (GSPH) a two-year, $2.75 million grant to evaluate the effectiveness of non-pharmaceutical interventions against outbreaks of influenza in schools and homes.
The Pittsburgh Influenza Prevention Project (PIPP), headed by Donald S. Burke (Dean of GSPH and principal investigator) and Sam Stebbins (Director of Pitt’s Center for Public Health Preparedness and co-investigator), worked closely with the Pittsburgh Public Schools and other partners to develop influenza prevention systems at schools and homes.
Funded through the Center for Public Health Practice by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cooperative agreement number U90/CCU324238-04
