iPhone offers H1N1 flu app, 'outbreaks near me' tracks infections

Apple's iPhone proves that there is an application for everything, as the company offers an app that tracks H1N1 swine flu infections. The move just may save lives on college campuses.

Apple's commitment to the concept of there being "an app for that" may very well prove true in the distribution of an application that tracks the spread of the H1N1 swine flu virus. The "Outbreaks Near Me" application was developed by Childrens Hospital Boston and the MIT Media Lab. It is a free application that promises users the ability to track and report on outbreaks of the virus. As colleges across the country struggle to contain the virus, the iPhone application may play an important role in alerting digitally-aware students of outbreaks in their immediate vicinity. The iPhone app is also affiliated with Health Map and is designed to provide real time data on the progress of the highly contagious virus. Reports are sourced from both the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, not to be outperformed, Google has released Google Flu Trends to help monitor the search behaviors of users who are looking to understand the behaviors and interactions of the pandemic. Google's perspective is that those people who are searching for this flu-oriented data may very well be infected themselves. While this is may be a leap of faith, it does offer another resource for those who are interested in using technology to monitor the advances of the H1N1 swine flu bug.