Using Routine Surveillance Data to Estimate the Epidemic Potential of Emerging Zoonoses: Application to the Emergence of US Swine Origin Influenza A H3N2v Virus

Cauchemez, Simon; Epperson, Scott; Biggerstaff, Matthew; Swerdlow, David; Finelli, Lyn; Ferguson, Neil M.

Novel influenza A virus infections in humans, such as those caused by the H3N2v-M virus, are nationally notifiable conditions in the United States. When US laboratories or health care providers identify a potential infection with a novel influenza A virus they are asked to notify CDC immediately. CDC then collaborates with federal, state, and local human and animal public health colleagues to provide laboratory confirmation of the novel virus and to conduct a case and/or outbreak investigation. Outbreak investigations typically involve case investigation, contact investigations, attempts to determine potential animal or human sources of the infection, and environmental investigations. For each suspected or confirmed case detailed epidemiologic and clinical data are gathered. Notification of these cases is published in the MMWR, and in the weekly FluView national surveillance report.