Swine Flu: How to Stay Ahead of Flu Season Using Google Flu Tracker

By Buckeye207

In its ongoing effort to "organize the world's information," Google has found a way to anticipate the spread of influence --aka "the flu"--by tracking regional illness-related internet searches. Google shares this information on its easy-to-use website, helping you to stay one step ahead of flu season!

Step 1
HOW IT WORKS: Millions of search words are entered into Google everyday, making the search engine a prime mechanism for anticipating emerging trends and seasonal fads. Google is able to track this information by region, yeilding some fascinating results (see the link below to Google Political Trends to see how Google tracked Election Trends by state according to what candidates where most often googled in each region). In the case of Google Flu Trends, the developers noticed that as the flu hit different parts of the country, there was a notable spike in searches about flu related terms. By tracking this data carefully, Google has estimated that in some cases it is able to track the arival of the flu virus up to two weeks sooner than traditional survellience systems, including those of the Center for Desease Control (CDC). Google has now partnered with the CDC to track the flu virus and potentially recognize the rise of a flu pandemic within the early stages.

Step 2
Anticipate Peek Season

TRACKING THE FLU'S PROGRESS: With Google Flu Tracker, you can compare how intense the flu season was in years past, what areas of the country were hit hardest and how close a flu outbreak is to your state. You can use this information to protect your own health by stepping up flu precautions during peak flu season, such as washing your hands and carrying waterless hand sanitizer.

Step 3
THE FLU IN YOUR STATE: Scroll across the map to see whether the flu has hit your state yet. Rankings for the current severity of flu season in your state range from minimal to intense.