Researchers design a new predictive model to improve the influenza care plan in Catalonia
Improving care services and reducing the impact of seasonal influenza are the main objectives of the new predictive influenza model in Catalonia, which has been now presented in an article published in the journal PLOS ONE. The study has the participation of the researchers Núria Torner, Anna Martínez and Mireia Jané, members of the Research Group of Epidemiology, Prevention and Control of Communicable Diseases -led by Professor Àngela Domínguez, from the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences of the UB- and the Biomedical Research Networking Center for Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP).
Improving care services and reducing the impact of seasonal influenza are the main objectives of the new predictive influenza model in Catalonia, which has been now presented in an article published in the journal PLOS ONE. The study has the participation of the researchers Núria Torner, Anna Martínez and Mireia Jané, members of the Research Group of Epidemiology, Prevention and Control of Communicable Diseases -led by Professor Àngela Domínguez, from the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences of the UB- and the Biomedical Research Networking Center for Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP).
Influenza is an acute respiratory infection which is easily transmitted among people. During winter, influenza affects a high amount of people in Catalonia, something which the health system has to cope with. Also, between 30 % and 50 % of infected people by this virus do not show symptoms but can transmit the disease. Therefore, it is important to have predicting tools for the evolution of influenza episodes to have the proper health resources.
The new predictive influenza model has several meteorological and trend data to have the predictive skills. This new epidemiological modelling tool creates a weekly report with the results of the predictions -within a 1-week or 2-week time margin- for each health area, and it creates a mapping of the intensity of the influenza activity in the provincial area.
The information that results from it is added to the weekly report of the Information Plan on acute respiratory infections in Catalonia (PIDIRAC). The Public Health Agency of Catalonia has also participated in the new predictive model.