Responding to the Return of Influenza in the United States by Applying Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Surveillance, Analysis, and Modeling to Inform Understanding of Seasonal Influenza

Abstract

We reviewed the tools that have been developed to characterize and communicate seasonal influenza activity in the United States. Here we focus on systematic surveillance and applied analytics, including seasonal burden and disease severity estimation, short-term forecasting, and longer-term modeling efforts. For each set of activities, we describe the challenges and opportunities that have arisen because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In conclusion, we highlight how collaboration and communication have been and will continue to be key components of reliable and actionable influenza monitoring, forecasting, and modeling activities.

Keywords: disease burden; modeling; seasonal influenza; surveillance.