Houston Health Department - Influenza Surveillance (2017)

The Houston Influenza Surveillance Weekly Report, also known as the Flu Weekly Report, has been produced by the informatics program in the Office of Surveillance and Public Health Preparedness at the Houston Health Department (HHD) since 2013. This report is shared on the City of Houston’s website every flu season (October-May). The report is a compilation of data from a variety of sources including DSHS, CDC, electronic lab reports (ELRs), and syndromic surveillance. Syndromic surveillance measures magnitude of effect and allows for year-to-year seasonal comparisons. The report contains details on influenza activity by county, state, and national levels, and highlights any increases in reporting of influenza-like illnesses (ILI) in Houston/Harris County. Because syndromic surveillance data is real-time, it can be used to indicate the beginning and the end of the flu season, and provide insight of when flu season is peaking.