Preparing for flu season
Context
The United States has an influenza season where more people than usual suffer from the flu. Some people, particularly those in vulnerable populations, develop serious complications and end up in the hospital. Hospitals and clinics need additional staff to adequately treat these extra patients. The medical staffing agency provides this temporary staff.
Objectives and key questions
•Identify the vulnerable age groups that are prone to flu deaths;
•Find out the states where vulnerable age groups are located;
•Determine the seasonal patterns of flu and see if that varies by state.
Data Overview
•US Census Data (2009 – 2017) sourced from US Census Bureau
•Influenza Death Data (2009 – 2017) sourced from Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Data Limitations and next steps
Timeliness of data
Inclusion of vaccination data
Data cleaning
A total of 54,013 missing values in the Death column were imputed using random integers between 0 and 9 to maintain dataset completeness for analysis.
T-test on mortality rate
The t-test showed a statistically significant difference in mortality rates between vulnerable and non-vulnerable groups. However, due to the large sample size, this result may not reflect a meaningful difference. The effect size was extremely small (Cohen’s d = 0.00032), indicating trivial practical significance.
Where are high-risk areas ?
California , Florida, New York , Texas , Pennsylvania , Illinois , and Ohio had the largest 65+ population on average among all states during 2009 and 2017.
Correlation Between Population and Flu Death
There is a strong relationship between population size and flu deaths across the country.
When is High Season?
December, January, and February were the peak seasons across years.
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Recommendations
Prioritize vaccination campaigns targeting individuals aged 65+.
Allocate additional healthcare resources in high-risk states to prepare for increased demand.
Begin seasonal preparedness planning from October, including staffing, vaccine distribution, and public awareness campaigns.
