The graph shows data we have received from schools (green) plotted against the data received nationally from GP surgeries (blue)
WARNING – Please follow this link and read the following about the data on this graph:
What’s involved?
Schools across England and Wales enter data taken from absence due to illness figures. Then schools analyse their data, comparing their school with national school data and national flu rates. Finally schools report their results to the team of University College London (UCL) scientists.
Who’s involved?
Dr Rob Aldridge and his team from UCL, who want to investigate whether school absence illness data can be used to detect flu activity earlier than is currently possible. This would help the NHS plan future flu interventions and could eventually save lives! Read more about the team of scientists and the project.
About the graph
- National Influenza Like Illness: The number of individuals across England and Wales going to see their General Practitioner with Influenza Like Illness (per 100,000 of the population). This is data collected by the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) and is one of the best indicators for flu activity (read more about it here).
- Days missed due to illness: National school data showing the number of days missed due to illness (per 100 students).
WARNING – Please read the following about the data on this graph:
The graph you’re looking at is a live summary of the data we’re collecting. We are making this information available publicly as we want to open up research to the public, showing it in a new and exciting way. However, this is research project, which means we don’t yet know what the data is telling us, we’re still deciphering that.
Because of this you need to be very cautious when looking at the graph. If there’s a blip or a dip in the data, it could be real, it could be an error, or it could be caused by something completely unrelated to flu. Therefore, please don’t use the graph to try and work out whether there is an outbreak of influenza occurring. If you want to know what’s going on with the levels of flu in England and Wales then you should check Health Protection Agency reports here.
You can keep up to date with Decipher my data! and the Flu! project by following us on twitter @deciphermydata and watch out for tweets marked #IASdata.
