Views expressed in opinion columns are the author’s own.
Under U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration, disease tracking will likely become more difficult due to policy changes, making self-tracking platforms like Global Flu View of potential use. The University of Maryland must begin to prepare for discrepancies between reality and government-reported data by implementing its own systems for student illness reporting, helping keep our communities safe and healthy.
Public health relies on robust disease surveillance, but policy shifts under the Trump administration threaten transparency, funding and data accessibility. Trump’s track record of limiting resources for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and downplaying public health issues such as COVID-19 casts concern over a potential future where impediments exist that limit reliable epidemiological surveillance.
Recent mass layoffs at health agencies, including the CDC, Food and Drug Administration and National Institutes of Health, have jeopardized disease tracking and regulatory oversight. More than 5,000 employees have been dismissed across the Department of Health and Human Services, a move that experts warn could severely weaken federal monitoring of infectious diseases.
The consequences of these policy decisions extend beyond bureaucracy — they affect public safety. The ability to detect and respond to outbreaks is compromised when federal tracking mechanisms lack personnel and resources. It is crucial that this university establishes independent systems to compensate for potential gaps in federal data.
This is a measure that this university — or really, any college campus — should take as universities are particularly vulnerable to disease outbreaks because of their high-density living conditions, shared spaces and frequent social interactions.
A Drexel University student died from meningitis B, a strain linked to an outbreak at Princeton University in 2014. The rapid spread of disease in dorms and classrooms highlights the need for accurate and timely tracking. Meningitis B, which spreads through coughing, sneezing and shared utensils, is especially dangerous because its symptoms mimic the flu, delaying proper diagnosis and response. Without proper surveillance, institutions risk outbreaks escalating before preventive measures can be enacted.
As a way to counteract issues in federal tracking, this university can adopt a self-reporting system where students can log symptoms and illnesses. Participatory surveillance, as demonstrated by Global Flu View, provides a model for such an initiative.
Global Flu View, developed by the nonprofit Ending Pandemics and housed at the University of Arizona’s Global Health Institute, integrates self-reported data from multiple global infectious disease surveillance programs, including Outbreaks Near Me and FluTracking.
The platform’s participatory approach allows local users to report symptoms, capturing data that traditional health systems may overlook. This method would benefit a college setting, where students experiencing mild symptoms often avoid seeking medical attention and continue their normal class routine because the university policy on excused absences for illness can be cumbersome. But on the flip side, a university-run system modeled after Global Flu View could provide administrators with real-time data that collects student’s UIDs, which would enable proactive responses to emerging threats and improve resource allocation.
Implementing a self-track system would allow the university to identify and respond to outbreaks more effectively. Students could voluntarily report symptoms, track illness trends, identify potential outbreaks early, provide real-time data to university health officials, and inform campuswide health policies and preventive measures. Additionally, this system could integrate with existing public health networks, sharing anonymized data with broader disease surveillance programs, which can benefit surrounding communities.
As federal disease tracking faces increasing challenges under the Trump administration, universities must step up to protect their students. Platforms like Global Flu View demonstrate the power of participatory surveillance, and this university has the opportunity to lead in this space as well as ensure efficient responses to outbreaks, protect its student body and compensate for potential failures in federal public health infrastructure.
In an era of uncertainty, institutions must prioritize independent, transparent and effective disease tracking.
Anderson Lemus-Del Cid is a senior government and politics and philosophy major. He can be reached at alemus02@terpmail.umd.edu.
