The Medical Manager’s 2013 Flu Season Update
Oh, hello #Flu, you’re a little early this year: sick.io/ksxfm
— Sickweather (@sickweather) October 19, 2012
The tweet above was sent out by a very interesting start up named Sickweather on October 19th of last year. Sickweather analyzes data from Twitter and Facebook to determine potential public health concerns by listening to the things people post on social media. If a lot of people are posting about coughing, sneezing or other symptomatic behavior, you could make the assumption that increased disease activity is more likely in the area. The tweet welcoming flu season early was not an ironclad prediction, announcement, or warning but six weeks later the Centers for Disease Control issued a press release titled “U.S. Flu Season off to Early Start.”
“The tweet welcoming flu season early was not an ironclad prediction, announcement, or warning but six weeks later the Centers for Disease Control issued a press release titled ‘U.S. Flu Season off to Early Start’.”
