Electronic data helps protect the public from influenza

How bad is the flu season? Were any flu-related deaths reported last week? Did the number of flu cases go up or down? How about the percentage of people at local emergency rooms with influenza-like symptoms?

These are the main questions that Brit Colanter, an epidemiologist with Public Health Services at the San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency, must find answers for year-round to determine how influenza is impacting residents in the region.

To do that, she turns to several county systems that collect electronic health information and lab results from the local medical community o...