Google: The Flu Is Coming!

Here is news about "Google: The Flu Is Coming!" a review by "Chris Taylor" at Mashable on 09-01-2013:

Did you get your influenza shots this season? If not, you might want to consider rushing to your local pharmacy as soon as possible after you see this disturbing chart from Google.org.

The non-profit arm of the search giant's empire has run an experiment every year since 2006 that has been remarkably accurate in predicting cases of flu in the U.S. It tracks sudden spikes in flu-based searches (people looking for flu remedies, for example) and places them on a map.

The results impressed the Centers for Disease Control, now a Google partner, since they tracked CDC data so precisely — before the CDC data had even been collated or released. Last year, one study called it an effective early warning system for emergency rooms. Here's the history:


Which is why we should be very concerned about this year's figures. According to Google, we're in the middle of the biggest flu season by far since its records began.

Check out the spike in flu-based searches nationwide in the chart below. It began in December, and isn't quitting yet.


Click on "United States," and you'll see results for your area. For the first time this year, Google is breaking down results by city. So we can see, for example, that the flu appears to be far more serious in New York City than in San Francisco. (Check out the full Google flu trends site here.)

And if you're looking for the most flu-free spots in the U.S.? The Google map suggests you visit Connecticut, the only state in the union with "moderate" flu activity. (The vast majority of states are listed as "intense;" the others are all "high.")

In terms of cities, you'll want to head for Reno, or Berkeley, or Midvale, UT. (Then again, the negative effects of the journey might cancel out all positive effects of being at your destination.) We're not sure what those cities are doing right, but we're sure it involves a lot of hand sanitizer, hydration, and flu shots early in the season.

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