Public Health Strategies for Enhanced Summer 2024 Influenza Surveillance

Overview

As the multistate outbreak of avian influenza A(H5N1) in dairy cows, poultry and other animals continues and agricultural fair season approaches, conducting surveillance for seasonal influenza viruses and monitoring for novel influenza A virus infections remains critical to inform public health actions. CDC, in collaboration with STLT public health agencies, has developed a multi-faceted enhanced summer influenza surveillance strategy that will be modified as new information is learned or the situation changes warranting a revised approach.

The activities described below are aimed at identifying spread of HPAI A/H5 to and among people, beginning with those exposed to infected/potentially infected animals and extending outward to the general population.

Implementation

  1. Identification of human infections via symptom monitoring among workers and others with recent exposures to HPAI A/H5 infected animals on farms or other locations.
    • Partners: State and local public health; CDC and USDA support as requested
  2. Conduct outreach and education to people exhibiting animals (specifically swine, cattle and avian species) at or attending agricultural fairs. (A detailed agricultural fair resource document is being developed using a one health approach and will be shared as soon as it is ready.)
    • Partners: State and local public health and departments of agriculture; CDC and USDA support as requested
  3. Encourage ongoing influenza testing (preferably RT-PCR) of individuals with compatible illness (e.g. respiratory illness with or without a fever or conjunctivitis) throughout the summer, particularly for persons with recent history of relevant exposures (e.g., dairy cows, raw milk, wild birds, poultry, agricultural fair attendance).
    • Partners: State and local public health; CDC and USDA support as requested
  4. Enhance surveillance for novel influenza A detection among severely ill patients by subtyping influenza A positive specimens from patient hospitalized or in the ICU.
    • Partners: State and local public health; CDC support as requested
  5. Enhance surveillance for novel influenza A detections in the community by maintaining the flow of influenza positive specimens to and subtyping of influenza A positives by public health laboratories and investigation of unexplained clusters of respiratory illness.
    • Partners: State and local public health; CDC support when possible and when requested
  6. Monitor influenza surveillance data for any unexpected patterns.
    • Partners: State and local public health, CDC
  7. Local data anomaly detection and investigation.
    • Partners: State and local public health, CDC