As many of us are well aware, the current crisis with H1N1 Flu is its ability to spread rapidly across countries and time zones usually through airports and other hubs of travel.  As a result Google has begin trending keyword searches which relate to the influenza epidemic.  Astonishingly they found that they could trend flu outbreaks and potential areas by using algorithms and keyword searches.  The result was a Google system that seems to accurately track and predict the spread of the H1N1 and other viral infections.  They have begun trending this information and are generally 2 weeks ahead of the CDC when it comes to tracking and predicting outbreaks.

Each week, millions of users around the world search for online health information. As you might expect, there are more flu-related searches during flu season, more allergy-related searches during allergy season, and more sunburn-related searches during the summer. You can explore all of these phenomena using Google Insights for Search. But can search query trends provide the basis for an accurate, reliable model of real-world phenomena?

With such advanced technology at our disposal it is quite possible that outbreak areas can be identified before hand, and the proper equipment and staff set up ready to screen for potential carriers.  By using infrared thermal cameras, such as the ICI Centurion thermal imaging camera, airports and governments around the world can better protect themselves from a costly outbreak of H1N1 Flu or other viruses.  For more information about Google's Flu Trending please visit the site below:

Google Flu Trending

For more information on how a thermal imaging camera can help detect viral infections please visit Infrared Cameras

by Kirk Eason