Biological & Public Health
Biological Surveillance
HazardNow’s Biological signal tracks public-health surveillance indicators from CDC wastewater, respiratory illness, and hospital reporting datasets. It is designed for situational awareness, not medical advice or diagnosis.
Quick read
- Useful for
- The signal helps users notice broad public-health context beside weather, transportation, infrastructure, and preparedness signals.
- Watch
- pathogen, source type, severity category, geography, latest source week, and whether the dashboard is showing elevated-only, Moderate+, or all reporting areas.
- Confirm with
- CDC Wastewater Viral Activity Levels and CDC Respiratory Illnesses
- Remember
- CDC public-health surveillance data is not real-time, can lag by days or longer, varies by source coverage, and is not medical advice.
What this signal tracks
- CDC Wastewater Viral Activity Level (WVAL) for SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19, Influenza A, and RSV.
- CDC acute respiratory illness emergency-department activity by state (ARI/ED).
- CDC/NHSN hospital respiratory admissions (HRD) for COVID-19, flu, and RSV where available.
How the status is scored
- Normal: data loaded and no High or Very High signals are present.
- Elevated: at least one High or Very High wastewater, ARI/ED, or hospital signal is present.
- Stressed/Critical: broader or more severe High/Very High signals may be used if those thresholds are implemented.
- Moderate is watch/context and is excluded from the default elevated count unless a Moderate+ display mode is selected.
How to read the dashboard card
- C19 means COVID-19 / SARS-CoV-2 elevated areas.
- Flu means Influenza A elevated areas.
- RSV means RSV elevated areas.
- ED means ARI/ED elevated areas.
- Hospital admissions are shown in hover details when available.
How to read the map
- Pink Biological dots represent reporting areas or public-health signals.
- Default map mode shows elevated signals only.
- All reporting areas mode can show low, moderate, and non-elevated signals where data is available.
- Clicking a dot should show the pathogen, source, severity, date, and value.
Important limitations
- CDC public-health surveillance data is not real-time and may lag by days or longer.
- Coverage varies by state, territory, reporting area, pathogen, and source.
- Wastewater can reflect broad community activity but may not represent every local area.
- Hospital admissions can lag community infection trends.
- HazardNow is not medical advice; use CDC, state, and local health departments for official guidance.
Visual reference
Biological surveillance signal map
Read the signal as one layer in a larger source stack, not as a standalone instruction.
Official/public sources
Use these links to verify current source text, update timing, and agency caveats.
FAQ
Is the Biological card medical advice?
No. It summarizes public surveillance data for awareness only. Use CDC, state, local health departments, and healthcare professionals for official guidance or personal medical questions.
Why can the elevated count look low?
The default count only includes High and Very High signals with usable recent data. Moderate is watch/context, and coverage varies by state, territory, reporting area, pathogen, and source.
What does Elevated mean?
Elevated means at least one High or Very High wastewater, ARI/ED, or hospital signal is present under the current scoring rules.