Influenza Activity in Shelby County

 *This page is retired until the fall - Thank you for visiting our page and have a safe summer.*

April 6, 2023

Welcome to the Shelby County Health Department seasonal influenza surveillance page. Data on influenza-like illness (ILI) will be displayed. Data will be posted every 2-3 days during times of high seasonal activity and then weekly as we begin to see a decrease in activity. Please see the end of the page for a more detailed explanation of this data. Thank you and be safe.

Influenza-like illness activity is low. The percent of ED visits for ILI last week was 1.9%. This is lower than the 2.3% seen this time last year.

Percent of ED visits for ILI by week

Currently, people ages 5-24 years are being seen in the ED the most for ILI. The 0-4 year old age group is the second highest.

Number of ILI ED Visits by CDC ILI Reporting Age Group
Reported Positive Flu cases by week

*Reported positive influenza tests as of 4.5.23

Sentinel Provider Network - Week 12 (Mar 19 - Mar 25)
Outpatient providers reporting ILI activity
Outpatient ILI activity reported by SPN for Week 12 (Mar 19 - Mar 25)

This data is retrieved from the Tennessee Department of Health ILI Surveillance Summary

The data shared here is Emergency Department visits, outpatient visits and the number of positive flu tests from local providers.

Influenza like illness (ILI) is defined as: Fever >100◦ plus cough and/or sore throat, in the absence of a known cause.

Classification of ILI is based upon symptoms only and does not require testing.

Coronavirus like illness (CLI) is defined as symptom terms, free text, or discharge diagnoses specified by the Centers for Disease Control and prevention that are likely to be related to illness caused by the 2019 Novel Coronavirus. The visits within these criteria will contain a percentage of illnesses caused by conditions other than novel coronavirus infection. This data is considered preliminary and are not confirmed diagnoses of the disease.

Influenza is not a reportable condition, so any data collected is voluntarily provided by community members.

Not all Emergency Department (ED) visits published here are diagnosed as influenza; some are discharged with a diagnosis of rhinovirus, bronchitis, or other upper respiratory infection.

The ED data is retrieved from the Electronic Surveillance System for the Early Notification of Community-based Epidemics (ESSENCE-TN). Currently, 11 out of the 12 ED's in Shelby County submit data to ESSENCE-TN. Off-season ILI is included for baseline comparison.

Outpatient visit data is collected by the CDC's Sentinel Provider Network and reported to Tennessee Department of Health weekly.

Some local providers also voluntarily report the number of positive flu tests. This data is presented in a table.

For information about infection prevention, national activity or detailed information about the influenza virus, please visit the CDC Influenza page. For information about influenza activity in Tennessee please visit the TN Department of Health web page. 

Any providers who are interested in submitting weekly data or if you have questions about reporting influenza data, please contact

Shelby County Health Department Regional Epidemiologist:

Julie.Schuman@ShelbyCountyTN.gov

(901) 222-9239

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