What's the ER doc's role in epidemiology?

Have any of y'all thought about this? For example, if someone comes into the ED with flu like symptoms, in the middle of flu season, and is an otherwise young and healthy individuals, I see no utility in testing for the flu (I'm also not a fan of Tamiflu for non-high risk populations), so it's usually just r/o something like a pneumonia, reassurance, doctor's note, and OTC symptom control. But with these periodic outbreaks of things like SARS, MERS, this novel corona virus, or even failed... What's the ER doc's role in epidemiology?
Source: Student Doctor Network - Category: Universities & Medical Training Authors: Tags: Emergency Medicine Source Type: forums