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Volume 15, Number 8—August 2009
Policy Review

Strategy to Enhance Influenza Surveillance Worldwide1

Justin R. Ortiz, Viviana Sotomayor, Osvaldo C. Uez, Otavio Oliva, Deborah Bettels, Margaret McCarron, Joseph S. Bresee, and Anthony W. MountsComments to Author 
Author affiliations: University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA (J.R. Ortiz); Ministerio de Salud, Santiago, Chile (V. Sotomayor); Instituto Nacional de Epidemiología, Mar del Plata, Argentina (O.C. Uez); Pan American Health Organization, Washington, DC, USA (O. Oliva); Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA (D. Bettels, M. McCarron, J.S. Bresee, A.W. Mounts)

Main Article

Table 2

Sample data collection from cases of severe acute respiratory infection and influenza-like illness*

Recommended essential minimum data for SARI surveillance
General information
• Unique identification number
• Medical record number
• Name (of patient and parent’s name, if a minor)
• Date of birth
• Sex
• Address
• Date of onset of symptoms
• Date of collection of epidemiologic data
• Suspected novel influenza case
• Inpatient or outpatient
Clinical signs and symptoms
• Fever >38°C
• Cough
• Sore throat
• Shortness of breath/difficulty breathing
• Other clinical danger signs (19 22,23,)
Type of specimen collected and date of collection
• Throat swab specimen, date of collection
• Nasal swab specimen, date of collection
• Other specimen (if collected), date of collection
Preexisting medical conditions
• Liver disease
• Kidney disease
• AIDS, cancer, or other immunocompromised state
• Neuromuscular dysfunction
• Diabetes
• Heart disease
• Lung disease
• Smoking history
Optional data collection for SARI surveillance
General information
• Diarrhea
• Encephalopathy
Exposure
• Occupation of patient
• Part of an outbreak investigation
• Contact with sick or dead poultry or wild birds
• Contact with friend or family who has SARI
• Travel in an area known to have endemic circulation of 
 avian influenza (H5N1)
• Other high-risk exposure (e.g., eating raw or undercooked
 poultry products in an area of influenza virus [H5N1] 
 circulation)
Vaccine/treatment history
• Vaccination against influenza within the past year
• Currently taking antiviral medicine

*SARI, severe acute respiratory infection; ILI, influenza-like illness.

Main Article

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Main Article

1A prior version of this protocol was presented in poster form at the Options for the Control of Influenza Conference in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, June 17, 2007.

Page created: September 30, 2010
Page updated: September 30, 2010
Page reviewed: September 30, 2010
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