Tag Archives: outbreaks
Predicting 2014’s Flu
Flu prediction is hardly an exact science. In fact it could be accused of being little more than a loose amalgam of computer modeling, blind luck, and gut instinct. In other words, cross your fingers. As this article describes, the scientific community has a fairly poor track record of predicting which flu strains will rise … Continue reading Predicting 2014’s Flu
View More >>Welcome to the MERS War Room
Outbreaks come with their own infrastructure these days. Ever since the days of Ebola, world health officials have been building up an apparatus for rapid response in the event of an epidemic. This network is extensive and well-equipped, and includes special teams dedicated to sequencing DNA and answering questions about vector, reservoir and origin. This … Continue reading Welcome to the MERS War Room
View More >>The Limits of Dr. Google
There has been some chatter in recent years about how Google could be used as a barometer for major epidemics. The thought is that the world’s most popular search engine is able to do something few physicians can: build a fairly reliable snapshot of what humanity is thinking about at any given time. Sometimes this … Continue reading The Limits of Dr. Google
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