Google searches for the flu

Anne Zieger — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 09:15:11 -0500

Last year, a test showed that Google could pinpoint flu outbreaks up to two weeks faster than the CDC's tracking by using search terms. Now Google.org (Google's philanthropic branch) is actively working with the CDC to try to catch them in near real time.

The project works by keeping track of where flu-related searches like "thermometer" and "cold remedies" are peaking. When they start increasing rapidly, it may mean that there is a flu outbreak getting started, and people are trying to find out more about their illness.

The best way to control a flu outbreak, and especially to avoid unnecessary deaths, is to get vaccines to people at risk near the outbreak. The faster an outbreak can be discovered and pinpointed, the better; so if Google's "FluTrends" continues to work, it could help control any outbreaks much more quickly.

To learn more about FluTrends:
- read this San Francisco Chronicle piece

Study: Nursing homes unprepared for pandemics

Anne Zieger — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 11:33:51 -0400

If your hospital is counting on having help from nursing homes when emergencies hit, think again. A new study suggests that more than half of nursing homes won't be prepared to accept hospital overflow if an influenza pandemic occurs. For example, 52 percent of nursing homes in Michigan and Nebraska don't have a plan for any pandemic, according to an article in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Of those with a plan, only 10 percent have rehearsed it, researchers say. All told, out of 400 nursing homes in the study, only 23 percent had a specific plan for influenza pandemics. Researchers note that while any flu could result in a pandemic, the greatest threat comes from avian flu, which has killed at least 216 people worldwide since 2003.

To learn more about this study:
- read this Associated Press article

Influenza

Google searches for the flu

Study: Nursing homes unprepared for pandemics