Searching for the flu...?

It’s funny to me that the word “google” has become a verb. When I don’t know something, I simply say, “I’ll google it and find out.”

So, I guess it isn’t surprising that when a new strain of the flu developed and people were unfamiliar with it that they began to google it. In fact, Google believes that they can show a close relationship between the number of flu cases and the number of times the word “flu” has been searched for. and have had their results published in the journal Nature. They are so sure that they have a whole website devoted to Google flu trends and have had their results published in the journal Nature.

The evidence they have is very interesting and available for a number of countries. Although the Google information isn’t a substitute for statistics from the CDC or your local health department, it is updated daily and could turn into a great tool for health professionals.

Oh, and don’t worry, the information Google collects from searches can’t be used to identify any single user. So, feel free to keep googling all your questions!

Nicole Holtgrefe is the director of preparedness and client services for the American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter.