Coinciding with the beginning of the flu season, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health has published its first issue of Influenza Watch for the 2011-2012 season.

The weekly e-newsletter, which is published during the traditional influenza surveillance season (October to mid-May), offers the latest flu surveillance and related disease updates for Los Angeles County. It provides statistics of influenza activity in Los Angeles, including the number of positive flu tests and the percent of emergency department visits for influenza-like illness. It also offers more global information, reporting on influenza in California and the nation.

To read the latest issue or view back issues of Influenza Watch, log on to www.publichealth.lacounty.gov/acd/FluSurveillance.htm. To receive this free newsletter via e-mail, sign up on the ListServ at www.publichealth.lacounty.gov/listserv (select “Public Health Topics” and then “FLUWATCH”).