Genesee County Health Department
Better Life Through Better Health
Release Date:
October 14, 2009
End Date:
October 20, 2009
Contact Person:
Fatema Mamou, MPH
Epidemiologist
Phone:
(810)768-7971
RE:
Influenza Sentinel
Surveillance Providers
The Genesee County Health Department is set to
recognize four Genesee County health care providers for their participation
in the U.S. Influenza Sentinel Provider Surveillance Network. The network is
a collaboration between the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
state and local health departments, and volunteer sentinel health care
providers, to monitor the impact of influenza each year. The providers will
be acknowledged at the Genesee County Board of Health Meeting at 1:30 pm on
Tuesday, October 20th, 2009 at the Genesee County Health
Department, 630 S. Saginaw St. in Flint. The meeting is open to the public.
For the 2008-2009 influenza season Genesee County had
4 Influenza Sentinel Providers. These providers have continued to
participate in the 2009-2010 season. Influenza Sentinel providers report the
total number of patient visits to their facilities each week, as well as the
number of patient visits for influenza-like illness. Influenza Sentinel
Providers also collect respiratory specimens from patients with
influenza-like illness which are tested to determine the strains of
influenza circulating in our community.
Influenza surveillance, with the help of local
sentinel sites, is vital to guide prevention and control activities because
influenza viruses continue to cause substantial illness and death throughout
the United States. This year the data from our sentinel providers is
critical for monitoring the spread of the pandemic novel influenza A (H1N1)
virus. Please join the GCHD in thanking the sentinel providers for their
efforts to protect the public’s health in Genesee County and Michigan.
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