Flu Near You is an online crowdsourced influenza surveillance system that allows individuals to report their symptoms in real-time.
Project Overview
Flu Near You aims to prevent the spread of disease through early detection using crowdsourced symptom data. Flu Near You empowers volunteer participants across the United States to report on a weekly basis via quick simple surveys. The data collected is presented to the general public through maps and visualizations on the Flu Near You web and mobile platforms. The data is a way for researchers to learn more about flu transmission, while the public can keep an eye on the spread of flu in their communities and nationwide.
Flu Near You was created in 2011 through collaboration between HealthMap at Boston Children’s Hospital, American Public Health Association (APHA) and Skoll Global Threats Fund. Over the years, Flu Near You has built a strong, collaborative network of researchers, epidemiologists and health officials to guide the development of the tool.
Healthcare Context
Early detection is a key component to preventing the spread of infectious disease. While there are existing systems to report and track influenza, they’re not all perfect. These systems can miss individuals that haven’t been to the doctor or can be slow to track because they rely on reports sent to health departments. That’s where Flu Near You can help. By encouraging individuals to report their symptoms in real-time, Flu Near You can augment traditional surveillance systems while providing useful information to the public.
News
Interested in learning more about Flu Near You?
Visit the Flu Near You website here or send Flu Near You an email at flunearyou@healthmap.org