Comparison of Survey Methods in Norovirus Outbreak Investigation, Oregon, USA, 2009

Abstract

We compared data from an Internet-based survey and a telephone-based survey during a 2009 norovirus outbreak in Oregon. Survey initiation, timeliness of response, and attack rates were comparable, but participants were less likely to complete Internet questions. Internet-based surveys permit efficient data collection but should be designed to maximize complete responses.

Keywords

• Viruses
• enteric infections
• food-borne infections
• gastroenteritis
• norovirus
• Internet