Alerts have not started yet

No surge alert has been sent to anyone. The list is open and your address is stored so you are on it when sending begins, but nothing is dispatched today. This page describes what the alert will do, not a service already running — and it will be updated, and the change recorded in the changelog, when the first alert goes out.

How it works

Set it once — then we watch for you

Here is what the alert will do once it starts. No account, no login.

Pick your state

Tell us which state to watch and where to send the email. There is nothing to install and no account to create. This part works today.

We watch the CDC signals

Every week the CDC's public-domain surveillance — emergency-department visits, the Acute Respiratory Illness activity level, wastewater viral activity and laboratory test positivity — is read and your state's combined threat level recomputed. That is the same figure already published on every state page. See the method →

You get a heads-up when the trend turns up

When the data shows activity climbing, you will get a short, plain-English summary of what changed. When it is flat or falling, your inbox stays quiet.

A heads-up, not an alarm

A surge alert is a directional signal, not a real-time warning. It reflects the same public CDC surveillance FluTrack shows on every state page, so it tells you which way respiratory activity is trending in your state — not that anything is happening at this precise moment. It is not an emergency notification, and it is not a medical alert.

Surveillance data is reported with an inherent lag of roughly one to two weeks. FluTrack shows directional trends, not a real-time case count.

Not medical advice

The information on FluTrack is provided for general informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of a qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

Your email, and nothing more

Signing up asks for exactly two things — your email address and the state you want to watch — and they will be used for exactly one purpose: sending your surge alerts. We do not sell or share your address, and every email carries a one-click unsubscribe, so you can leave the list at any time. The full detail lives in our Privacy Policy.

What every alert email carries

An alert is sent because you asked for it, and each one identifies who sent it and how to stop it. Every email includes the sender's name and registered postal address, a one-click unsubscribe that we honor promptly and without asking why, and a link back to the state page the alert refers to so you can check the underlying figures yourself. The postal address that appears in that footer is 2108 N St., Sacramento, CA 95816, United States.

Unsubscribing removes your address from the list entirely rather than merely pausing it. If you would prefer it also erased from our records, ask and we will delete it — see the privacy policy.

Independent, not official

Surge alerts are built entirely on the CDC's open, public-domain data, but FluTrack is an independent project with no affiliation, funding relationship, or special access.

No CDC affiliation

FluTrack is an independent project and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) or any government agency.

Common questions

Have alerts started going out yet?

Not yet. No surge alert has been sent to anyone. Signing up adds you to the list so you are included when sending begins; until then nothing arrives. When the first alert goes out, this page changes and the change is recorded in our changelog.

How often will I hear from you?

At most about once a week, and only when CDC data shows your state's respiratory trend turning upward. When activity is flat or easing, we stay quiet — there is no weekly newsletter and no digest to wade through.

Is a surge alert an emergency or a medical alert?

No. A surge alert is a directional heads-up derived from CDC surveillance data, which is reported with a lag of roughly one to two weeks. It describes what the trend is doing — not what you should do about it — and it is not a substitute for advice from a qualified health provider.

Will you sell or share my email address?

No. We ask only for your email and the state you want to watch, we do not sell or share your address, and every alert includes a one-click unsubscribe. See our Privacy Policy for the full detail.

Is it really free?

Yes. FluTrack is free, and the surge alert is part of that — no account, no payment, no catch. The site carries no advertising today and is intended to be supported by advertising and disclosed affiliate links in future; neither will ever affect a reading.