Flutracking: How to report symptoms to help science track COVID-19 and flu

Without being health or science professionals, today people can collaborate to build more scientific knowledge. From that perspective, “Flutracking” is growing, an opportunity to participate by cell phone or computer, report symptoms of COVID-19 and flu, and help track where viruses are circulating.

The initiative started in 2006 at a slow pace. But with the influenza A pandemic in 2009, the Australian Government decided to endorse it so that the entire population can collaborate. In 2020, after the start of the pandemic, Flutracking expanded to follow the advance of the coronavirus and once again demonstrated its usefulness as a complement to the traditional system for the surveillance of cases of people with respiratory infections.

By registering and completing a short survey each week, the “Flutrackers” - as the people involved are called - allowed health authorities to better understand the areas of circulation of the virus and make decisions. The tool has already been adopted in New Zealand and Hong Kong. Now, it is now available in Argentina, through a subsidy from the Australian government.

It is supported by Australian Ambassador to Argentina Brett Hackett, and will be developed with data analysis by researchers Martín Stryjewski and Analía Mykietiuk of the Argentine Society of Infectology (SADI). One person for each home can join to participate in the website of the initiative that is here.

One of the drivers of “Flutracking” has been Nick Walsh, a public health specialist, who is part of the Australian National Response for Trauma and Critical Care, and is a professor at Monash University and a member of the SAGE group of the World Health Organization. According to Dr. Walsh at a SADI seminar to which Infobae had access, “the flutracking system with the collaboration of people allows us to have real-time data on the circulation of viruses”.

In Australia today, more than 70,000 people answer the survey every week. By sharing data in the citizen science initiative, the tracing of viruses becomes increasingly robust. “By maximizing participation, there is better data,” Walsh said.

“Before the pandemic, the system was used to track the flu virus between May and October each year. With COVID-19 it was used all year round with the sending of surveys. It now enables a continuous system of monitoring the circulation of influenza and COVID-19. It allows us to make comparisons about the impact of viruses in the different jurisdictions of the country,” said the Australian scientist.

As the system is outside the hospital system, “Flutracking” allows you to track cases of people with infections who do not reach the doctor's office and hospital. “There are people who don't have access to doctors and hospitals. Flutracking then makes it possible to reach these people,” Dr. Stryjewski, who, in addition to being one of the main researchers of the project in Argentina, told Infobae, Dr. Stryjewski, who, in addition to being one of the main researchers of the project in Argentina, works as head of internment at CEMIC Pombo.

By agreeing to be a “Flutracker”, each person completes the zip code data and their identity is anonymous. Each week you are asked if you had fever, cough, sore throat, nasal congestion, headache, and change in taste or smell. She also wondered if she had symptoms she had to take leave at work, if she went to the doctor's office or hospital, if she had any kind of diagnostic tests and whether she had agreed to vaccination.

With the continued participation of the people, in Australia they observed in 2009 that the results of the Flutracking analyses correlated with those of surveillance system for hospital care and subsequent tests. During December and January, Flutracking detected Ómicron's wave by sublineage BA.1. It also allowed us to know that people began to do more rapid home tests to make the diagnosis of COVID-19.

During March, the system already let the Australian health authorities know that there is a new peak of Ómicron due to the predominance of the BA.2 sublineage that also advanced in Europe. In Argentina, the ANLIS/Malbrán Institute reported in March that there are more cases of people with this sublinage of the variant of concern . There is a risk that the COVID-19 curve will increase and there is concern from health authorities and experts in infectology because there are still people from 12 years of age and older who have not come close to receiving the booster dose, which gives better protection against Ómicron. Only 42% of the general population of Argentina has booster or additional doses. 81% have the complete primary scheme, according to the Public Vaccination Monitor of the Ministry of Health of the Nation.

While the Ómicron variant of the coronavirus began to circulate in Argentina last December, the influenza virus - which usually impacts in autumn and winter - was affecting more people in the middle of summer, the Ministry warned through an alert. Since 2020, after the start of the coronavirus pandemic, there were fewer cases of seasonal flu than in previous years. However, as of the first week of last December, there was an increase in the number of cases of influenza, mainly Influenza A H3N-2.

“With the Flutracking initiative, a map will be created that will allow us to understand the circulatory activity of the influenza virus, coronavirus and other respiratory viruses. As there are people who have mild symptoms and do not attend the medical consultation, this system allows the detection of cases that are not reported in the national surveillance system. In the map that will be published on the website, cases of people with respiratory symptoms will be shown in red,” said Dr. Stryjewski.

From the board of directors of the Argentine Society of Virology, Dr. Víctor Romanowski, said when asked by Infobae about the Flutracking project that “it is important to have a report on the situation in order to make decisions about public health intervention and control the transmission of respiratory viruses.”

To participate in Flutracking, it must be borne in mind that you can change your e-mail address or postcode and that you can withdraw from the initiative at any time. If a person has symptoms such as coughing or headaches chronically, they can also participate and collaborate with researchers. The system allows to analyze the beginning of the appearance of symptoms in its weekly information, and to separate chronic cases from new ones. Also considered are the different combinations of responses such as time of absence from usual tasks, consultation with a health professional and the result of swabs. “It is best to report any symptoms that the participant has, regardless of their chronic nature, as accurately as possible,” Stryjewski recommended.

Flutracking also enables participation by household. That is, a person can add members of their household to the weekly survey. They must be a stable part of your home. If a person is not sick with COVID-19 or the flu, they can also participate.

“All people over 12 years of age can participate in Flutracking Argentina, regardless of their health status or vaccination status; sick or healthy, vaccinated or unvaccinated,” Stryjewski clarified. The more people join, they help us to form a more representative sample. If we had only participants who are having an infection, a bias would be introduced. The most important thing is that people collaborate with scientific research and help monitor influenza and COVID-19 in our country.” The initiative, which is not for profit, receives inquiries and through the email: consultasflutracking@sadi.org.ar

KEEP READING: