Google’s philanthropic unit just developed a Flu Trends page. According to their early tests they might be able to report outbreaks up to tens days before the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This could help speed up reaction times. Google does it again.
New York Times says:
Google Flu Trends is based on the simple idea that people who are feeling sick will probably turn to the Web for information, typing things like “flu symptoms” or “muscle aches” into Google. The service tracks such queries and charts their ebb and flow, broken down by regions and states.