Friday, April 11, 2014

Disease Outbreak Warnings Via Social Media Sought by U.S.

Whooping cough first sickened the Illinois high school cheerleaders, then it struck the football players, the cross-country team and the band.

As it spread within the Chicago suburb of McHenry County in late 2011, another outbreak took place -- on social media. A small business called Sickweather LLC said it detected the online flare-up on Twitter Inc. (TWTR:US) and Facebook Inc. (FB:US) postings in early October that year. That’s about two weeks before local health officials issued a public statement.

Originally Published in Bloomberg Businessweek

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