Epidemiology Staff
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State of Rhode Island: Department of Health
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Influenza Surveillance
The Department of Health has a number of ways of gathering data and a staff of epidemiologists that work with CDC guidance to determine flu activity levels. This includes gathering reports on the number of patients with influenza-like illness from a sample of sentinel physicians and collecting data from hospital emergency rooms in the state. We also employ the services of the State Health Laboratory to determine which particular strains of the flu are prevalent.
Current Flu Activity
02/07/2013 16:05 EST
Pursuant to Rhode Island General Laws 23-17-21 and -36, and, R-23-17-HCW Rule 5.3 of the Rules and Regulations Pertaining to Immunization, Testing, and Health Screening for Health care Workers, the Director of the Rhode Island Department of Health hereby declares that the incidence of influenza is...
Influenza Activity Level Criteria
Activity Level | Influenza Like Illness Activity* / Outbreaks | Laboratory Findings |
|---|---|---|
No activity |
Low |
No confirmed cases† |
Sporadic |
Not increased |
Isolated confirmed cases |
Confirmed outbreak in one institution‡ |
||
Local |
Increased Influenza Like Illness (ILI) in 1 region ** |
Increased ILI within the past 3 weeks |
Two or more confirmed institutional outbreaks in 1 region |
Influenza in region of outbreaks; virus activity is no greater than sporadic in other regions within the past 3 weeks |
|
Regional (doesn’t apply to states with ≤4 regions) |
Increased Influenza Like Illness (ILI) and/or confirmed institutional outbreaks in more than 2 but less than half of the state's regions |
Confirmed Influenza in the affected regions within the past 3 weeks |
Widespread |
Increased Influenza Like Illness (ILI) and/or confirmed institutional outbreaks in at least half of state's regions |
Lab confirmed influenza in the state within past 3 weeks.. |
* Influenza Like Illness (ILI) activity can be assessed using a variety of data sources including sentinel providers, school/workplace absenteeism, and other syndromic surveillance systems.
† Lab confirmed case a case confirmed by rapid diagnostic test, antigen detection, culture, or PCR. Care should be given when relying on results of point of care rapid diagnostic test kits during times when influenza is not circulating widely. The sensitivity and specificity of these tests vary and the predicative value positive may be low outside the time of peak influenza activity. Therefore, a state may wish to obtain laboratory confirmation of influenza by testing methods other than point of care rapid tests for reporting the first laboratory confirmed case of influenza of the season.
‡ Institution includes nursing home, hospital, prison, school, etc.
**Region: population under surveillance in a defined geographical subdivision of a state. A region could be comprised of 1 or more counties and would be based on each state’s specific circumstances. Depending on the size of the state, the number of regions could range from 2 to approximately 12. The definition of regions would be left to the state but existing state health districts could be used in many states. Allowing states to define regions would avoid somewhat arbitrary county lines and allow states to make divisions that make sense based on geographic population clusters. Focusing on regions larger than counties would also improve the likelihood that data needed for estimating activity would be available.
Influenza activity is reported to the Division of Public Health Surveillance and Informatics, Epidemiology Program Office, CDC, via the National Electronic Telecommunications System for Surveillance (NETSS) via Secure Data Network (SDN).