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. 2024 Dec 20;16(12):1952.
doi: 10.3390/v16121952.

Influenza Virus Surveillance from the 1918 Influenza Pandemic to the 2020 Coronavirus Pandemic in New York State, USA

Kay L Escuyer  1 , Donna L Gowie  2 , Kirsten St George  1
Affiliations

Influenza Virus Surveillance from the 1918 Influenza Pandemic to the 2020 Coronavirus Pandemic in New York State, USA

Kay L Escuyer et al. Viruses. .

Abstract

A historical perspective of more than one hundred years of influenza surveillance in New York State demonstrates the progression from anecdotes and case counts to next-generation sequencing and electronic database management, greatly improving pandemic preparedness and response. Here, we determined if influenza virologic surveillance at the New York State public health laboratory (NYS PHL) tests sufficient specimen numbers within preferred confidence limits to assess situational awareness and detect novel viruses that pose a pandemic risk. To this end, we analyzed retrospective electronic data on laboratory test results for the influenza seasons 1997-1998 to 2021-2022 according to sample sizes recommended in the Influenza Virologic Surveillance Right Size Roadmap issued by the Association of Public Health Laboratories and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Although data solely from specimens submitted to the NYS PHL were insufficient to meet surveillance goals, when supplemented with testing data from clinical laboratories participating in surveillance programs, the recommended surveillance goals were achieved. Despite the sudden decline in influenza cases in 2020-2021, impacted by the COVID-19 mitigation measures, the dramatic increases in influenza cases surrounding the coronavirus pandemic reveal that influenza remains a national and international public health threat. Sample submissions to public health laboratories must be encouraged to facilitate monitoring for emerging viruses and preparedness for another pandemic.

Keywords: database management systems; disease outbreaks; influenza virus; pandemics; preparedness; public health; sample size; surveillance.

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Conflict of interest statement

K. St. George receives research support from ThermoFisher Scientific, Bio-Rad Laboratories, QIAGEN, and Ceres Technologies for the evaluation of reagents and instruments for virus detection and characterization and has royalty-generating collaborative agreements with Zeptometrix® and MRN Diagnostics. There are no other potential or actual conflicts of interest to disclose.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Timeline of influenza virus surveillance indicating global, US national, and New York State events from 1918 to 2024.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The number of public health laboratories and World Health Organization/National Respiratory and Enteric Virus Surveillance System (WHO/NREVSS) clinical laboratories* reporting the number of New York State (NYS) influenza tests to US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for the 1997–1998 to 2021–2022 seasons. * Since 2014–2015, one WHO/NREVSS clinical laboratory outside NYS has been reporting.
Figure 3
Figure 3
The number of weeks the New York State (a) public health laboratories (PHLs) and (b) World Health Organization/National Respiratory and Enteric Virus Surveillance System (WHO/ NREVSS) clinical laboratories reported positive results that met the ≥137 sample size goal for situational awareness according to the Influenza Virologic Surveillance Right Size Roadmap for the 1997–1998 to 2021–2022 seasons.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Test methods used for laboratory confirmation of influenza cases in New York State for the 2008–2009 to 2021–2022 seasons.
Figure 5
Figure 5
New York State positive influenza tests by type, subtype, and lineage reported by World Health Organization/National Respiratory and Enteric Virus Surveillance System (WHO/ NREVSS) clinical laboratories for the 1997–1998 to 2021–2022 seasons.
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