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ACHA Pandemic Influenza Surveillance
Influenza Like Illness (ILI) in Colleges and Universities
With preliminary epidemiologic data on novel H1N1 flu suggesting significant risk among those in the college setting, ACHA deems it epidemiologically valuable to identify disease burden and population based attack rates of influenza like illnesses (ILI) [ICD-CM Diagnosis 487.1] on college campuses. ACHA has thus undertaken an effort to enlist (on a voluntary basis) interested institutions of higher education to submit data on a weekly basis regarding the number of new cases of ILI.
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Project Description
New ILI cases reported include those seen in the student health service, those triaged over the phone by a health care professional but simply told to self-isolate and not be seen in the health service, and those known by the health service to have been seen in a local emergency department or urgent care center.
The following links depict weekly case data (Saturday through Friday, August 29-September 4) reported to ACHA as of: Wednesday, September 9, 2009, as well as cumulative case data. (The weekly report updates the preliminary report released on 9/9/09 by inclusion of data from schools in the state of Washington.)
For the week of August 29th to September 4th, a total of 4,974 cases were reported with just 8 hospitalizations. Seventy-two percent of the 236 colleges and universities reported cases of ILI, compared to 54% the prior week. The nationwide attack rate was 17.8 cases/10,000 students, more than double the prior week?s rate. The highest rates of activity were observed in the Northwest and Southeast regions of the country. Data from some states show 126 to 367 cases per 10,000 students. Again, no deaths were observed among the reporting institutions.
Weekly College Case Data [ICD-CM Diagnosis 487.1]
Cumulative Data Since Report Inception [ICD-CM Diagnosis 487.1]
Note: These data do not represent all institutions of higher education, nationwide.
Limitations: State case counts and rates do not represent the complete incidence of ILI in the state's population, nor the incidence of ILI among all institutions of higher education in the state. The case counts and rates only represent those institutions of higher education that participate in the surveillance program.
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