Results from the centers for disease control and prevention’s predict the 2013–2014 Influenza Season Challenge

BMC Infectious Diseases

Table 2 Forecasting targets for the 2013–2014 influenza season as calculated from the U.S. Outpatient Influenza-like Illness Surveillance Network (ILINet), United States

	Start week^a	Peak week^a	Peak percentage	Duration of influenza season
United States	48	52	4.6	14

Legend: The start of the season was defined as the first surveillance week in ILINet where the number of visits for ILI divided by the total number of patient visits (the ILINet percentage) was above the national baseline value of 2.0 % and remained there for at least two additional weeks. The peak week of the season was defined as the surveillance week that the ILINet percentage was the highest during the 2013–14 influenza season. The ILINet percent peak was defined as the highest numeric value that the ILINet percentage reached in the United States during the 2013–14 influenza season. The duration was defined as the number of weeks that the ILINet percentage remained above the national baseline.
^aWeeks are given in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report surveillance weeks. For calendar start and end dates of each week, please see http://wwwn.cdc.gov/nndss/script/downloads.aspx

ISSN: 1471-2334