How useful would this be?  BBC today reported that Google is using its vast database of individual search terms to predict the emergence of flu up to two weeks before government epidemiologists. Here’s is The Times’ ’10 in 10′ brief:

Google Flu Trends uses the tendency of people to seek online help for health problems. By tracking searches for terms such as “cough”, “fever” and “aches and pains”, it claims to be able to accurately estimate where flu is circulating.  Google tested the idea in nine US regions of the US and found it could accurately predict flu outbreaks between seven and 14 days earlier than federal centres for disease control and prevention. Unfortunately, Flu Trends is limited to the US.

Read more about this here.

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