It's an interesting project, based on the idea that if a lot of people in a certain region are running searches on flu-related topics, a fair number of people in that area probably actually have the flu.
The site charts flu activity for the entire country, or state by state (it's currently low both nationwide and in my state), and you can mouse over a nice map that's color coded to indicate where things are busiest. Nothing's very busy right now---the whole map is a soothing blue.
It looks like Texas is the place to be, with 'minimal' flu activity, which is the lowest level. I have my plane ticket! Though unfortunately not until late December, by which time things could have changed.
There's also a handy link to the CDC's site, as well as a flu shot locator and recent 'flu in the news' stories.
The site says it can estimate flu activity in an area "up to two weeks faster than traditional systems." Fascinating!
I'm immediately curious whether this would work with other ailments as well. Obviously not every illness lends itself to the kind of on-the-spot searching that would allow for tracking of trends, but might there be some others for which it could apply?
I'm sure that will be forthcoming as soon as the Google folks figure it out.
*Prizes not specified, guaranteed, or probable. But all the more exciting for that!
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