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  • Title: Importance of routine public health influenza surveillance: detection of an unusual W-shaped influenza morbidity curve.
    Author: Georgantopoulos P, Bergquist EP, Knaup RC, Anthony JR, Bailey TC, Williams MP, Lawrence SJ.
    Journal: Am J Epidemiol; 2009 Dec 15; 170(12):1533-40. PubMed ID: 19903724.
    Abstract:
    Seasonal influenza causes excess morbidity and mortality at the extremes of age: It disproportionately affects the very young and the very old, typically resulting in "U"-shaped age-distributed curves. By means of a well-established public health department surveillance system using positive influenza tests submitted from sentinel sites, the authors generated annual influenza-specific morbidity curves over a 10-year period (1998-2008) for St. Louis County, Missouri. The authors detected an unusually high incidence of cases of medically attended test-positive influenza, particularly in young adults, during the 2007-2008 season, resulting in an unexpected "W"-shaped age-distributed morbidity curve that was distinctly unique in comparison with the prior 9 influenza seasons. Public health influenza surveillance programs are useful tools for detecting emerging epidemiologic trends that may have clinical importance.
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