title: Flutracking weekly online community survey of influenza-like illness annual report, 2015.
abstract: Flutracking is a national online community influenza-like illness (ILI) surveillance system that monitors weekly ILI activity and impact in the Australian community. This article reports on the 2015 findings from Flutracking. From 2014 to 2015 there was a 38.5% increase in participants to 27,824 completing at least 1 survey with a peak weekly response of 25,071 participants. The 2015 Flutracking national ILI weekly fever and cough percentages peaked in late August at 5.0% in the unvaccinated group, in the same week as the national counts of laboratory confirmed influenza peaked. A similar percentage of Flutracking participants took two or more days off from work or normal duties in 2015 (peak level 2.3%) compared with 2014 (peak level 2.5%) and the peak weekly percentage of participants seeking health advice was 1.6% in both 2014 and 2015. Flutracking fever and cough peaked in the same week as Influenza Complications Alert Network surveillance system influenza hospital admissions. The percentage of Flutracking participants aged 5 to 19 years with cough and fever in 2015 was the highest since 2011. The 2015 season was marked by a transition to predominantly influenza B strain circulation, which particularly affected younger age groups. However, for those aged 20 years and over, the 2015 national Flutracking influenza season was similar to 2014 in community ILI levels and impact.
authors.affiliation: Public Health Physician, Hunter New England Population Health, Wallsend, New South Wales.|University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW and Hunter Medical Research Institute, Newcastle, New South Wales.
authors.forename: Craig B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Dalton
authors.affiliation: Research and Evaluation Officer, Hunter New England Population Health, Wallsend, New South Wales.
authors.forename: Sandra J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Carlson
authors.affiliation: Public Health Physician, Hunter New England Population Health, Wallsend, New South Wales.|Conjoint Professor of Public Health Medicine, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW and Hunter Medical Research Institute, Newcastle, New South Wales.
authors.forename: David N
authors.initials: DN
authors.lastname: Durrheim
authors.affiliation: Research and Evaluation Officer, Hunter New England Population Health, Wallsend, New South Wales>.
authors.forename: Michelle T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Butler
authors.affiliation: Professor, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria.
authors.forename: Allen C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.affiliation: Adjunct Professor, National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, Australian National University, Acton, Australian Capital Territory.
authors.forename: Heath A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Kelly
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000847:Annual Reports as Topic; D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D018563:Disease Notification; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006296:Health Services; D049674:History, 21st Century; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000266:history; D020407:Internet; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D062486:Public Health Surveillance / Q000379:methods; D012621:Seasons; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D000067494:Time Out, Healthcare; D055815:Young Adult