Hedberg urged federal entities to streamline information sharing regarding emerging data.
"It would be useful to have more open communication and more rapid assessment of what's going on," said Hedberg.
Regulatory personnel often balance caution against sharing incomplete findings during active investigations.
"In a period of uncertainty, public health officials and regulatory officials really don't want to overstate what they know," said Hedberg.
However, delayed official messaging can inadvertently heighten public confusion.
"But it doesn't help when there's a lot of information floating around the edges, and the main officials responsible for tracking it aren't really commenting on it," said Hedberg.
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Expanded diagnostic capabilities across medical facilities have also contributed to the record number of identified cases this season.
"Make testing more available and faster and easier," said Hedberg regarding culture-independent diagnostic tests. Modern testing tools allow laboratories to detect low-level infections that previously went unrecorded.
"The use of CIDTs has expanded greatly over the past decade," said Hedberg. Enhanced clinical capability directly drives higher official counts.
"We have the ability to identify cases in ways that weren't readily available not that long ago," said Hedberg.
Public awareness surrounding the nationwide surge has prompted more symptomatic individuals to seek medical testing.
"They see their illness as part of the outbreak," said Hedberg. Increased patient presentation further accelerates case logging.
"They seek care, and then that further increases the amount of testing that gets done," said Hedberg.
