Announcement of Requirements and Registration for the Predict the Influenza Season Challenge

Résumé

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) located within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announces the launch of the Predict the Influenza Season Challenge. Each year annual epidemics of influenza occur in the United States. However, variations in the timing and intensity of the season occur each year. Early insights into the timing of the beginning, the peak, and the intensity of the influenza season would be very useful in planning vaccination campaigns, targeting resources and therefore reducing costs associated with influenza prevention and control, and communicating prevention messages to the public. Mathematical and statistical models can be useful in predicting the timing and impact of the influenza season, but no models published to date have successfully predicted key influenza season milestones with sufficient accuracy. The Influenza Division, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, CDC would like to invest in innovation through the research and development of mathematical and statistical models that use digital surveillance data (e.g. Twitter, internet search data, web surveys, etc.) to predict the timing, peak, and intensi