Google Trends Used to Track Flu Outbreaks

Google Analytics claims it can track flu outbreaks up to two weeks faster than traditional flu tracking methods

Internet marketing pros have long known the value of Google Trends. Google Trends provides valuable information regarding internet search terms and can be used as real time predictor of new trends and hot key words among other things. In true social media fashion, Google now suggests that they can predict flu outbreaks by tracking increases in the number of flu related search terms in relation to geographic location of the searches.

If you think about this for a moment, it makes perfect sense. In today’s world of instant information, what do people do at the first sign of an oncoming sickness? Do they run to the doctor? No, they run to the internet. While the Center for Disease Control gets their information from health centers, labs, hospitals, that sort of thing, Google’s Flu Trends Indicator can tell when there is a sudden spike in flu related searches and spot the outbreak before patients even arrive at the doctors office.

It will be interesting to see the social implications of this technology in the future.