2007 - 2008 Texas Influenza Surveillance Information

Influenza Surveillance Report for MMWR Week 47

The influenza (flu) activity level for Texas for the week ending November 24, 2007 is “local.” Local activity indicates that a single region of the state is experiencing an increase in ILI and has recent laboratory–confirmed influenza.

Reports were received from all 11 Health Service Regions (HSRs) for week 47. HSRs 1, 2/3, and 7 reported an increase in flu activity from the previous week. For a map of Health Service Regions, please visit the following website:

http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/regions/state.shtm

During week 47, two hospital laboratories and the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) Laboratory reported conducting a total of 350 influenza tests (antigen, culture, and PCR) to the National Respiratory and Enteric Virus Surveillance System (NREVSS ) sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). No positive results were reported from these tests. Two reports of culture-confirmed influenza were received from other sources. The first culture was positive for influenza A (H3N2) and was submitted from a provider in Nueces County. The second positive culture was identified as influenza A (untyped) and was collected from a resident of Harris County. Additional positive results from point-of-care rapid flu tests were reported by providers throughout the state.

No institutional outbreaks or school closures were reported for week 47.

Eighty–one sentinel providers reported data to the U.S. Influenza Sentinel Provider Surveillance System (SPSN) on patients with influenza–like illness (ILI) and total patients seen for any reason during week 47. Eighty providers reported seeing patients during week 47; of those, 46 (58%) providers reported seeing at least one patient with ILI. Of all patient visits during this week, 5.43% were due to ILI. The ILI baseline for the West South Central Region (Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas) of the United States is 4.3% for the 2007–2008 season. The baseline is the mean percentage of patient visits for ILI during non-influenza weeks for the previous three seasons plus two standard deviations.

The current U.S. flu weekly report (including a map) on influenza may be found at http://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/fluactivity.htm. Texas initially reported “sporadic” to the CDC as the flu activity level for week 47; however, the flu activity level was amended to “local” after new laboratory information was received late in the week. For this reason, the national influenza report may not reflect the most recent flu activity level reported by Texas.

For more information on flu surveillance activities in the State of Texas, please visit our main surveillance page.

*Influenza activity level corresponds to current MMWR week only and does not reflect previous weeks' activity.

2007 - 2008 Texas Influenza Surveillance Information --- Flu Reports

For the week ending: 10/6/07; 10/13/07; 10/20/07; 10/27/07; 11/03/07; 11/10/07; 11/17/07; 11/24/07; 12/01/07; 12/08/07; 12/15/07; 12/22/07; 12/29/07; 01/05/08; 01/12/08; 01/19/08; 01/26/08; 02/02/08; 02/09/08; 02/16/08; 02/23/08; 03/01/08; 03/08/08; 03/15/08; 03/22/08; 03/29/08; 04/05/08; 04/12/08; 04/19/08; 04/26/08; 05/03/08; 05/10/08; 05/17/08; Annual Summary;

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