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  1. Case Definitions/

Open Syndrome Influenza-Like Illness (ILI) Africa CDC

Authors: Africa CDC

Location: Africa

Purpose #

The definition #

An acute respiratory infection with: • measured fever of ≥ 38 °C • and cough • with onset within the last 10 days

Machine-readable definition #

The definition is available in JSON format following the Open Syndrome v1.0 specification:

{
   "category": "suspected",
   "definition_type": "case_definition",
   "description": "",
   "human_readable_definition": "An acute respiratory infection with:\n•\nmeasured fever of ≥ 38 °C\n•\nand cough\n•\nwith onset within the last 10 days",
   "inclusion_criteria": [
     {
       "logical_operator": "AND",
       "type": "criterion",
       "values": [
         {
           "attribute": "body_temperature",
           "name": "Measured fever",
           "operator": "\u003e=",
           "type": "symptom",
           "unit": "degrees Celsius",
           "value": 38
         },
         {
           "name": "Cough",
           "type": "symptom"
         },
         {
           "name": "Onset within the last 10 days",
           "type": "symptom"
         }
       ]
     }
   ],
   "keywords": [
     "Influenza-like illness",
     "Africa"
   ],
   "language": "English",
   "location": "Africa",
   "open_syndrome_version": "1.0.0",
   "organization": "Africa CDC",
   "published_at": "2025-02-08T19:20:46Z",
   "published_by": [
     "Open Syndrome Initiative"
   ],
   "published_in": "https://opensyndrome.org",
   "references": [
     {
       "url": "https://au.int/sites/default/files/documents/38350-doc-protocol_for_enhanced_sari_and_ili_surveillance_for_covid-19_in_africa_eng.pdf"
     }
   ],
   "scope": "broad",
   "status": "draft",
   "target_public_health_threats": [
     "Influenza-like illness"
   ],
   "title": "Open Syndrome Influenza-Like Illness (ILI) Africa CDC",
   "version": "1.0.0"
 }

Using the Definition #

Healthcare organizations can implement this definition through:

  • Direct integration with surveillance systems
  • API endpoints for real-time validation
  • Manual case verification processes

Next Steps #

We encourage:

  • Clinical feedback on the definition criteria
  • Technical feedback on the implementation format
  • Suggestions for additional symptoms or signs
  • Reports of implementation experiences

Get Involved #

We welcome contributions and feedback from the community.