Analyses of Merging Clinical and Viral Genetic Data for Influenza Surveillance

The annual influenza vaccine is one of the most common public health interventions and is universally recommended for all individuals older than six months. Vaccine composition depends on viruses circulating over the past flu season and are estimated to be the most prevalent and representative strains in the current season. Here, we use clinical data outfitted with viral genetics to characterize confirmed influenza cases from the past two flu seasons and genetically compare them to the strains that they were vaccinated against that year. We show that case similarities to vaccine strains differ by geographic region and that the vaccines appear to have different levels of effectiveness by region. This study demonstrates the value of merging viral genetics with clinical data. Further research is needed to formally evaluate whether this improves biosurveillance efforts and enhances efficacy of influenza vaccines.