Influenza - Surveillance

The Scottish flu spotter scheme was set up in 1971 to augment laboratory test data and to provide an early warning of annual outbreaks. The scheme is part of a group of early warning systems operating throughout Europe that contribute data from clinical consultations and laboratory tests to the European Influenza Surveillance Scheme (EISS). Information also feeds into the World Health Organisation (WHO) surveillance system (fluNET) to monitor the global transmission of influenza throughout the year. More information on the Scottish flu spotter scheme is available from Health Protection Scotland (HPS).


In 2000 the Scottish flu spotter scheme was supplemented by a new scheme known as Scottish Enhanced Respiratory Viral Infection Surveillance (SERVIS). SERVIS is a Scottish Government (SG) funded initiative, co-ordinated by HPS. It is a GP based sentinel scheme that derives its data from a subgroup of PTI practices and aims to ensure that the national influenza surveillance scheme is more representative and reliable. The new scheme provides data on the age and sex of patients presenting with ILI (influenza-like illness) or ARI (acute respiratory infections) to their GP. A small sample of these cases are linked to virological testing. Further developments to augment surveillance are planned and include extraction of electronic data on GP consultations from an extended range of General Practitioners, use of data from NHS 24, use of data on hospital admissions and deaths from influenza, enhanced virological testing for strain identification (in collaboration with the West of Scotland Regional Virus Laboratory), and a pilot of the use of data on absenteeism routinely collected from schools.

Historically vaccine uptake was monitored only in the 65+ age group in Scotland. At the end of the season, uptake in the over 65's was measured in terms of the numbers of vaccine doses given based on item-of-service payments made to GPs for vaccinations given (see Vaccination monitoring ). From the 2004/05 season onwards, HPS has started to collate information provided directly by general practices on the number of vaccinations given and the number of "at risk" patients in their practices at a number of points during the season, to establish vaccine uptake by NHS Board area. This information allows the SG and NHS Board to measure vaccine uptake throughout the season. GPs have also been asked to compile an 'influenza and pneumococcal scheme register' to establish a denominator base for all those "at risk" patients in their practice against which uptake rates can be measured.

The latest development in enhancing the primary care surveillance system of influenza-like illness in Scotland is PIPER (Pandemic Influenza Primary Care Reporting System for Scotland). PIPER aims to record influenza vaccine uptake and estimate vaccine effectiveness in season in real time, through development of a system to routinely extract and transmit data already held in General Practice clinical information systems on influenza (and pneumococcal) vaccine use and clinical presentation with ILI or ARI, to then compile and share this with the NHS in Scotland. It aims to generate timely vaccine uptake by risk group, trend data on clinical presentation and timely clinical effectiveness data on vaccines/antivirals/antibiotics. More information on PIPER can be obtained from HPS.

                     

       

Related influenza information:  
Introduction
GP Consultations
Vaccinations 
Surveillance