Using School Sentinel Sites for the Early Detection of Influenza

As public health surveillance is becoming more and more prevalent, new sources of data collection are more evident. One such data source is school absenteeism. By monitoring the symptoms of illness recorded when students are absent, health departments ideally can pinpoint potential outbreaks prior to their existence, all at little to no cost. The symptoms reported may not amount to disease, but their increase in incidence may indicate the preliminary spread of illness. This surveillance tool is also used to develop community intervention containment practices.

Objective

This paper describes the application of syndromic surveillance data from area school districts to detect influenza epidemics in a county setting.