Google Offers a Flu Tracker Map

Google has found it can monitor search data such as “flu symptoms,” “fever,” “influenza,” as a way to determine the number of flu cases occurring in the United States. They are now offering an interactive map where users can click to see the number of outbreaks in a specific area, based on the searches collected, allowing for populations to be aware of possible flu outbreaks.

While the United States Center for Disease Control (CDC) tracks flu cases, their data is usually two weeks behind. Google’s flu tracker, known as Flu Trends, shows the number of flu cases in almost real time with an interactive map of the U.S. that can be accessed at anytime, through the internet. Google’s Flu Trends Map appears to be the first to use search engines as a way to track diseases and possibly opening an avenue for other opportunities. The newly released flu tracker allows a user to view trends by state and can provide alerts as flu symptoms searches elevate to certain levels. The system also allows for downloads of historical and current flu trends

Google software engineers Jeremy Ginsberg and Matt Mohebbi, explained that the company compared their data gathered from queries entered into Google searches against the data that was provided by the U.S. CDC and discovered a very close relationship between the frequency of Google’s search queries and the number of flu cases per week, as reported by the CDC. Google’s product uses a selected grouping of words devised by their engineers that are related to the flu. A few of those are thermometer, flu symptoms, muscle aches, chest congestion and several others.

The CDC relies on data that is collected from thousands of health care providers, labs, emergency rooms and other sources which slow their reporting. According to some public health care experts, Google’s data could potentially speed up the response of doctors, hospitals and public health officials against flu season, and reduce the spread of the disease and even save lives. Many people don’t realize the mass affects of the flu each year, but there are approximately 36,000 early deaths annually attributed to the flu.

Symptoms of the flu according to the CDC include: high fever, headache, tiredness, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, diarrhea or vomiting.

Google’s Flu tracker is currently only available for tracking the flu in the U.S., but the company hopes to expand the tracking area eventually worldwide. The company points out that Flu Trends tracking is aggregated and can’t be traced to individual searchers.

Getting vaccinated is certainly the best way to ward off the Flu, but Google’s Flu Tracker can help Americans to be aware when the Flu is affecting their area. Google hopes users will take advantage of their new product and take precautions if the disease is in their area.

Tainted Peanut Butter May Be Source of National Salmonella Outbreak

Minnesota health officials have found salmonella bacteria in a 5-pound container of peanut butter at a nursing facility. It appears likely that the peanut butter, distributed by Ohio-based King Nut Companies, is the source of a flurry of salmonella infections across the state. According to state Department of Health spokesman Doug Schultz, every one of the 30 Minnesotans with recent salmonella infections had eaten peanut butter before becoming ill, and “many if not most of them have been connected to this King Nut brand.” Although the Minnesota salmonella strain matches that of the outbreak which has sickened nearly 400 people in 42 states since September, federal officials haven’t connected the peanut butter to the national outbreak. “There is insufficient information at this time to conclusively link this product to the national outbreak,” cautioned FDA spokeswoman Stephanie Kwisnek.

King Nut Companies has asked their customers to stop distributing all King Nut and Parnell’s Pride brand peanut butter with a lot code that begins with 8. The brands are supplied to food service companies that distribute the products to institutions like restaurants, delis, cafeterias, bakeries, schools, universities, hospitals and nursing homes, but not to retail stores. King Nut has also canceled all orders with the manufacturer, Peanut Corporation of America (PCA), based in Lynchburg, Virginia. In a press release, King Nut’s chief executive, Martin Kanan said, “We are very sorry this happened. We are taking immediate and voluntary action because the health and safety of those who use our products is always our highest priority.”

In a statement released on Sunday, PCA alluded that since the container was found open in a nursing facility, there was the possibility of cross-contamination. “To date, the only conclusive testing linking salmonella to PCA’s product was done on an open container of the peanut butter in a large, institutional kitchen. The history of the handling of that open container is unknown at this time.” The company’s owner and president, Stewart Parnell, says FDA agents began testing in the plant on Friday. He declined to comment further until the FDA and CDC complete their investigation. A CDC spokeswoman said on Sunday that she had no new information on the case and did not know when additional test results would be available.

So far, the CDC has confirmed 399 cases of Salmonella Typhimurium nationwide, with about one victim in five being hospitalized. California has reported the most cases with 55, followed closely by Ohio with 53. One salmonella-infected Minnesota woman in her 70’s died, but state health authorities say they are unsure whether other medical conditions caused or contributed to her death.

The latest outbreak comes almost two years after ConAgra was forced to recall its Peter Pan brand and Great Value peanut butter manufactured at a Georgia facility, which were eventually linked to at least 625 salmonella cases in 47 states.