What is the purpose of reporting and surveillance?
- To monitor when and where influenza activity is occurring
- To determine what influenza viruses are circulating
- To monitor severe influenza disease and influenza-associated hospitalizations
- To monitor the effectiveness of vaccination programs
- To detect emerging threats such as avian or other novel influenza virus strains
- To measure the impact of influenza on deaths in Oregon
Influenza Surveillance Projects
Hospital Surveillance
Hospitals in the Portland metropolitan area (Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington counties) report to the Oregon Public Health Division (PHD) when they have a patient admitted with laboratory-confirmed influenza. Hospitals are asked to submit specimens to the Oregon State Public Health Laboratory (OSPHL) for influenza testing. See Hospital Surveillance Data.
Outpatient Illness Surveillance
Information on patient visits to health care providers for influenza-like illness (ILI) is collected through the Outpatient Influenza-Like Illness Surveillance Network (ILINet). ILINet consists of more than 3,000 healthcare providers nationwide who report data to CDC on the total number of patients seen and the number of those patients with ILI. Oregon sentinel providers also submit influenza specimens to OSPHL according to the Sentinel Surveillance program guidelines.
The Oregon Community Health Information Network (OCHIN) is a collaborative network of federally qualified health centers (FQHC) and rural health centers in Oregon, representing 103 clinics throughout the state. OCHIN provides discharge diagnosis data to OHA in order to monitor rates of acute respiratory illness (ARI) and influenza-like illness (ILI) among its patients.
Laboratory Surveillance