The Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH) is requesting all healthcare providers, hospitals and laboratories to assist in conducting enhanced surveillance for suspect cases novel influenza A (H3N2) virus. The following guidance documents provider further information:

• Background Information on Recent U.S. Human Cases of Novel Influenza A (H3N2) (December 14, 2011)
• Guidance for Enhanced Influenza Surveillance Related to Recent U.S. Novel Influenza A (H3N2) Cases (December 14, 2011) 
• ILINet Enhanced Influenza Surveillance Related to U.S. Novel Influenza A (H3N2) Cases (December 14, 2011)

Information on Influenza Sentinel Providers

The Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH) participates in the Outpatient Influenza-like Illness Surveillance Network (ILINet), a collaborative effort between the Centers for Disease control and Prevention (CDC), state and local health departments, and volunteer sentinel physicians as part of our influenza surveillance.

Sentinel physicians: 

• Report the total number of patient visits to their facilities each week, as well as the number of patient visits for influenza-like illness (ILI) within five age categories (0-4 years, 5-24 years, 25-49 years, 50-64 years, and 65 + years). 
• Collect respiratory specimens from a sample of patients with ILI for virus culture at no charge by the MDCH Laboratory.

Medical providers of any specialty (e.g., family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, infectious disease) in nearly any setting (e.g., private practice, public health clinic, urgent care center, emergency room, university student health center) who are likely to see patients with influenza-like illness can be sentinels.  The only exception is for those providers who primarily care for institutionalized populations (e.g., nursing homes, prisons).

The advantages of being a sentinel physician include:

• Free laboratory testing (respiratory virus culture) for approximately 11 specimens per site per year
• Weekly feedback on submitted data
• Summaries of regional, state, and national influenza data
• Free on-line subscriptions to the CDC publications, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) and Emerging Infectious Diseases 
• Family practice residents may fulfill their residency research requirement by participating in the influenza surveillance system

More information on Influenza Sentinel Provider Surveillance

• An Influenza Sentinel Physician shares his experience with Influenza Sentinel Surveillance in the Michigan Immunization Update, December 2005 
• Map of surveillance sites in Michigan 
• Sentinel Brochure 
• Learn how to volunteer 

• Information on the MDCH Influenza Sentinel Laboratory Program