| Show Influenza Surveillance inking Public Health and Clinical Medicine Stephen Alder University of Utah Department of Family and Preventive Medicine Susan Mottice Utah Department of Health Division of Epidemiology and Laboratory Services detection of the onset of the influenza During the 2000 2001 infiuenza season epidemic was possible withinfew days of researchers from the University of Utah onset Systematic increases in daily patient Department of Family and Preventive visits at these clinics continued until the Medicine have teamed with the Utah epidemic resolved Statistical process DepartmentHealth Division of control analyses were used to identify Epidemiology and Laboratory Services to systematic increases in daily patient visits testnew approach to influenza againstbackground of routine daily patient surveillance The approach uses increases visit variation During the 2000-2001 in daily patient visits at urgent care season fourteen urgent care clinics across outpatient clinics to signal the onset ofwere used allowing surveillance to include respiratory epidemic Once suchsignal is the Salt Lake metropolitan area from the detected cultures are obtained fromOgden valley to Utah valley and rural sample of patients at these clinics who This system community representation present with symptoms of respiratory allowed for the detection oflocalized infection These cultures are sent to the epidemic observed in rural community in Utah Department of Health public health eastem Utah laboratory where they are cultured for influenza and other respiratory pathogens Current efforts are underway to expand the such as parainfiuenza RSV and scope of this surveillance effort to include adenovirus Patient load and laboratory test more sites and additional diseases With fesults in combination with existing the increasing availability of electronic surveillance are used to influenza means of gathering surveillance data from characterize the status of influenza in the urgent care and primary care clinics Utah Results from the individual cultures improved detection of disease outbreaks are also retumned to the submitting clinician Early and epidemics is possible intervention can reduce the health impact of The method of combining urgent care daily exposures and agents infectious patient counts with laboratory testing for Developing stronger links between public identification of infectious pathogens was health and clinical medicine providespiloted during the 1998-1999 influenza synergy that can improve health both at the season Using daily patient counts from two population and individual patient level urgent care clinics in the Salt Lake valley 144 Digital image 2005 Marriott Library University of Utah Al rights reserved |
