More apps, less flu?

Fewer people caught the flu this season compared with  past years. And many more apps tracking the flu have been developed.  Any relationship between these two trends?

Of course, less flu could be just the result of fewer mutations in bugs, warmer weather and more vaccinations. Yet the power of good software - such as google flu trends, twitter-based trackers and numerous apps can not be underestimated. Thanks to these tools, we are now more aware (and more afraid).

The flu is inherently social. "Nip the flu in the bud by spreading information, not germs, through the social network", says Flu Alert app. and lets you sort your friends by their flu exposures. Virtual flu in Fluville is promoting healthy habits by showing how flu can spread. Fluspotter let's you exchange warnings with your facebook friends, Flutracking reads your e-mails, while Influ takes your voice messages and shares it with users around the world. Biodisapora is tracking disease outbreaks by monitoring air travel. Sickweather scans Twitter and Facebook posts, and Germtrax lets you also sync with Foursquare and Google+  to geo-locate your wereabouts while being sick - with one of 6067 sicknesses available in their database.

According to multiple research studies, flu-related Internet searches, use of certain phrases on Twitter and Facebook posts peak 1-2 weeks earlier than the epidemic curve and align reasonably well with CDC data.

Social media is a noisy but powerful adjunct to surveillance systems based on official sources. It gives us an opportunity of contributing to the community's common good. It raises our awareness, but is not sufficient on its own. Many other factors increase our individual risks. Air travel. Or stress (haven't you noticed flu season in Greece was the worst in the world this year?) Age and food, too.

Aurametrix is a personal health analysis system that tackles this problem with an integrative approach. It aligns your medical history and historical CDC information with your food, mood and amount of sleep. It  looks at all environmental predictions for today telling you if pollen, mold spores or air quality are more likely to be the reason for your symptoms, or if it is the rise in infectious diseases in your area. Aurametrix relies on a range of official sources and social media predictions. The data are constantly updated and refined, and causes linked with effects.

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