Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41547041›Full record

ArticleEpidemics2026

Estimating influenza transmission parameters: Comparing two study designs, 2023-2024.

Jessica E Biddle, Stacey House, Jennie H Kwon, Rachel M Presti, Stephanie A Fritz, Tara Curley, Son H McLaren, Melissa S Stockwell, Jonathan Schmitz, H Keipp Talbot and 22 more

Abstract readComparative Study
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Epidemics, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

32 authors.

Jessica E BiddleInfluenza Division, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA. Electronic address: Qwj9@cdc.gov.
Stacey HouseDepartment of Emergency Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA.
Jennie H KwonDepartment of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA.
Rachel M PrestiDivision of Infectious Diseases, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, USA.
Stephanie A FritzDepartment of Pediatrics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA.
Tara CurleyDepartment of Emergency Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA.
Son H McLarenDepartment of Emergency Medicine, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY, USA.
Melissa S StockwellDivision of Child and Adolescent Health, Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY, USA; Department of Population and Family Health, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY, USA.
Jonathan SchmitzVanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.
H Keipp TalbotVanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.
Carlos G GrijalvaVanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.
Elie A SaadeUniversity Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, USA.
Zainab AlbarUniversity Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, USA.
Vel MuruganDepartment of Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA.
Rick A CruzDepartment of Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA.
Emily T MartinUniversity of Michigan School of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
Ivana A VaughnHenry Ford Health, Department of Public Health Sciences, Detroit, MI, USA.
Karen J WernliKaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA; Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine, Department of Health Systems Science, Pasadena, CA, USA.
Brianna M WickershamKaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine, Department of Health Systems Science, Pasadena, CA, USA.
Richard K ZimmermanUniversity of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Department of Family Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Krissy Moehling GeffelUniversity of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Department of Family Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Manjusha GaglaniBaylor Scott & White Health, Department of Pediatrics, Temple, TX, USA; Baylor College of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Temple, TX, USA.
Michael E SmithBaylor Scott & White Health, Department of Pediatrics, Temple, TX, USA.
Emmanuel B WalterDuke University School of Medicine, Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Durham, NC, USA.
Natalie A B BontragerDuke University School of Medicine, Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Durham, NC, USA.
Lydia BristolInfluenza Division, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA.
Ashley M PriceInfluenza Division, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA.
Jessie R ChungInfluenza Division, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA.
Brendan FlanneryInfluenza Division, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA.
Melissa A RolfesInfluenza Division, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA.
Alexandra M MellisInfluenza Division, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA.
RVTN-Flu study group, US Flu VE Network Investigators

Funding

University of Pittsburgh Clinical and Translational Science InstituteUL1TR001857 · NCATS · UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH · PI REIS, STEVEN E · 2016 to 2025
$129.3M
Intramural CDC HHS CC999999NCATS NIH HHS UL1 TR001857NCIRD CDC HHS U01 IP001180NCIRD CDC HHS U01 IP001181NCIRD CDC HHS U01 IP001182NCIRD CDC HHS U01 IP001184NCIRD CDC HHS U01 IP001189NCIRD CDC HHS U01 IP001191NCIRD CDC HHS U01 IP001193NCIRD CDC HHS U01 IP001194
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Household studies play a critical role in estimating influenza transmission parameters, which are essential for real-time modeling of epidemic and pandemic dynamics to inform influenza control strategies. We compared two approaches for estimating household influenza transmission parameters from multisite studies conducted in the United States during the 2023-2024 influenza season: interviewing index cases about illnesses among household contacts (n = 1537 contacts) and prospective enrollment of index cases and their household contacts with systematic, daily symptom assessment and testing (n = 857 contacts). We compared the detection of symptomatic illness, influenza-like illness (ILI; fever and either cough or sore throat), influenza virus infection, and estimated serial illness onset intervals among household contacts across studies. Symptomatic illness episodes among household contacts were identified in 40 % of contacts by index case interview compared to 59 % of contacts from individual daily follow-up. Reports of ILI were more comparable between platforms (20 % vs. 26 % respectively). Index case interviews identified 12 % of household contacts with positive influenza tests while systematic, daily testing in the individual daily follow-up platform identified influenza infection among 44 % of household contacts. Both platforms yielded a median serial interval of 4 days. While index case interviews offer rapid, resource-efficient data collection and can inform epidemiological outcomes such as age-related risks and serial intervals, they substantially underestimate laboratory-confirmed influenza cases compared to systematic daily follow-up. These findings highlight the importance of study design in accurately capturing transmission dynamics and underscore the need for systematic laboratory testing to inform public health responses.

Indexed as

Contact TracingInfluenza, HumanAdolescentAdultAgedChildChild, PreschoolFamily CharacteristicsFemaleHumansInfantMaleMiddle AgedPandemicsProspective StudiesUnited StatesHousehold transmissionInfluenzaPandemic preparednessSerial intervals

Identifiers

PMID41547041
PMCPMC12977091

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.