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** This information is updated weekly **
Community Sentinel Surveillance
Updated Friday, February 26, 2010
Summary
Influenza remains below expected levels for the season.
Saskatoon Health Region:
From the end of week seven, ending Feb 18: All indicators show sporadic or no influenza activity. No laboratory confirmed cases of influenza were reported this week. Hospital surveillance suggests respiratory illnesses have increased slightly in the past few weeks, likely related to other viruses circulating in the community. Influenza-like-illiness (ILI) in Emergency Departmetns was 0 per 1000 this week and physician ILI was 14.7 per 1000, up slightly from last week. School illness absenteeism was average. There were no respiratory illnesses reported in long term care facilities this week.
Figure 1. Lab confirmed influenza A pandemic H1N1and influenza-like-illness rates per 1000 patients by week number to Feb 18, 2010
Source: Public Health Services. Please note that ILI and lab confirmed case counts are preliminary and will change from week to week.
Note:Please note that ILI and lab confirmed case counts are preliminary and will be updated weekly. Lab confirmed cases include influenza A positive case counts and hospitalizations for persons resident in SHR only. Persons who are residents of other Health Regions may be seen in SHR hospitals but are not included in SHR case counts.
Table 1.
Measure |
SHR Wk 07 ending Februay 18 |
SHR Comparison
to Previous Week |
School and workplace surveillance |
Schools reporting >10% illness (resp) |
0 |
0 |
Saskatoon Public School Division (SPSD) High Schools illness (range) |
Stable |
Stable |
SPSD Elementary Schools illness (range) |
Stable |
Stable |
Greater Catholic School Division (GCSD) High School illness (range) |
Stable |
Stable |
GSCD Elementary Schools illness (range) |
Stable |
Stable |
Rural sentinel school** illness |
Stable |
Stable |
University colleges absence (not illness) |
Not reporting |
Not reporting |
Sentinel daycare*** |
Not reporting |
Not reporting |
Assessment |
| FluWatch Activity Level |
1 - No activity |
1 - No activity |
| Overall Assessment |
No or low activity
and stable
|
No or low activity
and stable
|
Data Source: Public Health Services. Please see definitions table for further clarification of these terms.
What is "sentinel surveillance" for influenza?
Only a small percentage of influenza cases are identified through physician testing. Sentinel surveillance uses community information and health care information to describe influenza activity in the community. Sentinels act as “look-outs” for early warning of increasing influenza activity. Health regions across Canada have conducted sentinel surveillance for influenza for many years.
Who is involved in sentinel surveillance?
*Between five and eight sentinel physicians report influenza like illness (ILI) per 1,000 patient visits for one clinic day per week. Sentinel physicians are selected for geographic representation of the region.
**Between five and eight rural sentinel schools report illness absenteeism one school day per week. Rural schools are selected for geographic representation of the region.
*** Two sentinel daycares report illness absenteeism one daycare day per week.
Saskatoon Public School Division (SPSD) and Greater Catholic School Division (GCSD) illness absenteeism report illness absenteeism one school day per week.
University colleges report absence, not illness absenteeism.
Table 2. Definitions
Value |
Definition |
General increase |
50% or more of sites have increased absence compared to previous week |
Selected increase |
Less than 50% of sites have increased absence compared to previous |
Stable |
No change from previous week |
Selected decrease |
Less than 50% of sites have decreased absence compared to previous |
General decrease |
50% or more of sites have decreased absence compared to previous week |
Baseline |
Baseline data is being gathered |
FluWatch Activity level |
| 0 No activity |
No laboratory confirmed influenza detections during the past 4 weeks however sporadically occurring ILI may be reported |
| 1- Sporadic |
Sporadically occurring ILI and lab confirmed influenza in the past 4 weeks with no outbreaks detected |
| 2- Localized |
Sporadically occurring ILI and lab confirmed influenza in the past 4 weeks together with outbreaks in schools and work sites or laboratory confirmed influenza in residential institutions occurring in less than 50% of surveillance region |
3- Widespread |
Sporadically occurring ILI and lab confirmed influenza together with outbreaks of ILI in schools and work sites or laboratory confirmed influenza in residential institutions occurring in 50% or more of the influenza surveillance region |
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