How will CDC help institutions and communities decide what steps to take?
CDC and other public health agencies will be monitoring national data on the number of people seeking care for flu-like illness as well as the number of flu hospitalizations and deaths. CDC will also look at the geographic spread of flu-like illness and changes in the virus. By comparing data with historical seasonal flu trends and trends during the H1N1 flu situation in spring 2009, CDC will be able to provide advice to state and local agencies on appropriate steps to take. The impact of flu in the fall and winter 2009 will likely vary from state to state and community to community. States, communities, and institutions should consider: who needs to be involved in the decision-making process, and include those people in regular communications, severity of the flu and its impact in the community, schools, and institutions of higher education, capacity of the healthcare system to respond to local outbreaks, and the goals, feasibility, and community’s acceptability of action steps being
