How We Are Tracking the Flu
The new "flu season" officially started on September 1, 2009. For the 2009-2010 flu season, the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) has enhanced existing flu monitoring systems and will use a multi-tiered approach to track influenza activity across New York State. The Department will provide weekly updates of these various measures of flu activity to ensure that every New Yorker has access to the latest information. The weekly updates will begin on September 17, 2009. Weekly updates on flu activity will be provided each Thursday and will include:
- Key findings from flu monitoring.
- A regional view of the number of patients with complaints of illness consistent with flu seen in hospital emergency rooms around the state.
- Flu testing results from public health laboratories and other laboratories around the state.
- Information from a select group of doctors and hospitals (called "sentinel providers") who do extra monitoring to help NYSDOH keep track of flu and to give a snapshot of what is going on with flu around the state.
- Estimates of influenza-associated hospitalizations and deaths.