Syndromic Surveillance and Influenza-like Illness in Georgia

There are multiple sources of influenza and influenza-like illness (ILI) surveillance data within the state of Georgia. These include laboratory surveillance for influenza viruses, sentinel providers that report ILI, pneumonia and influenza mortality, influenza-associated hospitalizations, and influenza-associated pediatric deaths. The usefulness of emergency department-based (ED) syndromic surveillance (SS) data as an additional source of ILI surveillance data is currently being evaluated at national, state, and local levels.

Objective

To describe Georgia’s experience using ED-based SS as a source of influenza-like illness surveillance data.