Sporadic

Influenza cases, either laboratory-confirmed or influenza-like illness (ILI), are reported, but reports of outbreaks in places such as schools, nursing homes, and other institutional settings have not been received.

Regional

Outbreaks of either laboratory-confirmed influenza or ILI are occurring in geographic areas containing less than 50% of the state's population. A geographic area could be a city, county, or district.

Widespread

Outbreaks of either laboratory-confirmed influenza or ILI are occurring in geographic areas representing more than 50% of the state's population.

The Georgia Department of Public Health tracks cases of influenza (flu) throughout the State with the help of 75 volunteer sentinel physicians. While each individual case of flu is not reportable to health authorities, we monitor flu activity by watching the percent of doctors' visits that are for "influenza-like illness." When flu-like illnesses begin to make up greater than 3% of doctor visits, we suspect that influenza is active in an area.