Swine Flu Detectives and What Science Can't Do

by Mike Smith · 2009-09-02 09:54:00 UTC
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Threat detectives across the world are helping map the spread of flu and disease, but can't do it alone. Global Health Magazine asks how we're using all this new media flying around us to track the spread of Swine Flu, highlighting Google Flu Trends' attempt to link number of infected people to the number of search requests—doing a good job of following the spread of flu around the world. However, Mark S. Smolinski explains, "it cannot replace official influenza surveillance because it does not provide the critical information that public health needs: You." Smolinski explains that stigma attached to disease can effect its fate. It's simple: Engagement in the places where flu spreads is essential to tracking and education each other.

In the Washington Post today is an article asking citizens to do their own flu tracking: Posting on blogs, and tweeting about their illness with scientists hoping that "this "infodemiology" might help forecast and track a flu epidemic the way experts monitor the weather." The future is here! Maybe we'll soon see flu forecasts sponsored by Pfizer.

[Photo credit: SariHuella]

Mike Smith
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