Respiratory virus surveillance in Australia: past, present and future

Surveillance for respiratory viruses has developed from being solely focused on influenza notification to a more sophisticated system that allows for a more comprehensive picture of the burden, severity and impact of several respiratory viruses. Although all surveillance is associated with some degree of bias, when combined these provide useful information on the respiratory virus activity. However, further improvements are possible using new sources of surveillance, such as linked administrative databases, and taking a broader view of surveillance that provides information for forecasting and on public health control measures.