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FluTracking is an online health surveillance system to detect epidemics of influenza. They are looking for people who live in Australia and have easy access to email on a weekly basis. It doesn't matter if you are vaccinated or not.

How Does FluTracking work?

It takes only 10 - 15 seconds each week. They ask if you have had fever or cough in the last week. This will help find ways to detect both seasonal influenza and hopefully pandemic influenza and other diseases so they can better protect the community from epidemics.

Volunteers will receive weekly information on influenza-like activity in the region based on their analysis of the data. Participation is voluntary and your information will be kept confidential.

FluTracking was launched in winter 2006 and has been growing ever since. In 2015 over 20,000 participants completed the weekly surveys.

Weekly Survey

After the volunteers are recruited and provide informed consent they receive a weekly email from us during the traditional influenza season (usually from May 1 to October 30). The email contains a link to an online survey form.

On the first visit they provide the following information:

• Date of birth
• Receipt of influenza vaccine in the current and the preceding year
• Face to face contact with patients
• Postcode of residence

On subsequent weekly visits to the form, they are asked about the presence of typical flu-like symptoms like:

• Fever
• Cough
• Number of days absent from normal duties
• Visits to health care providers
• Results of laboratory tests for influenza