Google Flu Tracker

Google search engines are expanding into the medical field. Google and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have developed a new online tool that accurately tracks flu trends in every state and officials at the CDC hope the site will serve as an early warning system for flu outbreaks.

This site is free to everyone and uses aggregated search data to estimate flu activity. Google researchers compared flu-related search queries from each state and region and correlated the data with the number of people who actually had flu symptoms and was able to estimate flu activity nearly two weeks ahead of traditional systems.

CDC officials said the information will allow them to alert hospitals, clinics and doctors to stock up on tests and drugs before an outbreak intensifies in their areas.

The web site can be accessed here: Google Flu Trends