Estimates of excess medically attended acute respiratory infections in periods of seasonal and pandemic influenza in Germany from 2001/02 to 2010/11.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The number of patients seeking health care is a central indicator that may serve several different purposes: (1) as a proxy for the impact on the burden of the primary care system; (2) as a starting point to estimate the number of persons ill with influenza; (3) as the denominator data for the calculation of case fatality rate and the proportion hospitalized (severity indicators); (4) for economic calculations. In addition, reliable estimates of burden of disease and on the health care system are essential to communicate the impact of influenza to health care professionals, public health professionals and to the public.

Methodology/principal findings

Using German syndromic surveillance data, we have developed a novel approach to describe the seasonal variation of

SUBMITTER: der Heiden MA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3712969 | biostudies-literature | 2013

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature