Delaware Influenza Wastewater Viral Activity Levels

Weekly wastewater viral activity levels for influenza are provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The data includes state-level and national WVAL metrics with categorical classifications from 'Very Low' to 'Very High'. It is published by data.delaware.gov and was last updated in April 2026.

Use Cases

• Forecast regional influenza outbreaks by analyzing trends in the `StateOrTerritory_WVAL` and `Regional_WVAL` time series.
• Classify public health risk levels using the `WVAL_Category` column to trigger community alerts.
• Compare state-level (`StateOrTerritory_WVAL`) versus national (`National_WVAL`) influenza activity for disparity analysis.
• Assess the geographic `Coverage` of sampling sites to understand potential biases in the `Regional_WVAL` median.

Strengths

• Data is sourced from the authoritative Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
• Includes multiple granularity levels: state, regional, and national WVAL metrics.
• Provides a clear categorical classification (`WVAL_Category`) derived from a defined numerical scale.

Limitations

• Sample size and row count are unknown, limiting statistical reliability assessment.
• Geographic bias is noted, as sampling site density varies, meaning the median `Regional_WVAL` may not represent all communities.
• The dataset's temporal coverage and start date are unspecified.

Provenance

Source

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), published by data.delaware.gov.

Collection Method

Wastewater samples collected from sewage systems, tested for influenza virus fragments.

Freshness

Last updated April 2026.

Geography

Delaware, United States (state-level), with regional and national comparisons.