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This story is from the category Health
Date posted: 11/11/2008 Google Flu Trends, created by the company's philanthropic arm, Google.org, provides daily estimates of the number of flu cases in the US, based on trends in flu-related internet searches such as queries about symptoms. The estimates made by Google's new software match the weekly flu statistics compiled by the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) from doctors' reports, says Neil Ferguson of Imperial College London, UK, who is familiar with the project. Moreover, Google Flu Trends can detect an outbreak days before it shows up in the weekly CDC reports, he says. The extra warning time won't stop outbreaks, but could play an important role in helping hospitals prepare for a surge in patients. "Even outside of pandemics, just with seasonal flu, the severe years can really stress healthcare systems," says Ferguson. If successful in combating flu, the technology could be applied to other diseases around the world. It might even help to prevent new infectious diseases from taking root, says Larry Brilliant, head of Google.org. See the full Story via external site: www.newscientist.com Most recent stories in this category (Health): 14/06/2013: Biochip Lab Breakthrough Allows Fast, Reliable Pathogen Identification |
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