“Estimates of deaths caused by the swine flu have grown to nearly 4,000 since April, roughly quadrupling previous estimates. But that doesn’t mean swine flu suddenly has worsened. Instead, the federal numbers made public Thursday reflect a long-awaited better attempt to quantify the new flu’s true toll.”
We’re glad to see public agencies making a better effort to give people the information they need to protect themselves, given the fact that:
“I am expecting all of these numbers, unfortunately, to continue to rise,” said Dr. Anne Schuchat of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “We have a long flu season ahead of us.”
and,
Tight supplies of vaccine to combat the illness continue: Not quite 42 million doses are currently available, a few million less than CDC had predicted last week.
From the beginning, FluTracker has been a reliable and current source of up-to-the-minute information on the spread of swine flu. Turn to FluTracker for the most accurate and timely data about the spread of swine flu.
This Wednesday, September 23 at 3:00 PM (EST) URISA, the Urban Regional Information System Alliance will be hosting an exciting Webinar about the controlled crowdsourcing technology behind Rhiza’s popular FluTracker website.
FluTracker is able to make outbreak data available to the public 5-10 days ahead of the estimates provided by the CDC. This Webinar will explain how you can utilize controlled outsourcing and take advantage of the newly developed technology and the omnipresence of the public to inform people of flu outbreaks. This is just one example of how Community Participatory Mapping is being used to make information more readily available to the public. You will learn how to best utilize this tool and get the maximum amount of benefits from the developing technologies.
“Crowdsourcing and the H1N1 Virus” will be presented by Maryl Widdows and Andrew Macurak of Rhiza Labs, located in Pittsburgh, PA. For more information, visit http://www.urisa.org/webinars.
We have 10 free registrations available to companies and government agencies interested in learning more about the technology behind FluTracker. Please email widdows at www.rhiza.com to reserve your space ASAP.
Learn more about the design process behind FluTracker from Jeff Christensen, Rhiza Labs’ Chief Product Officer, in the latest URISA News. URISA is the leading association for professionals in the urban and regional information systems, with chapters across the United States. Read the full article after the jump: Read more »
It’s been a busy month for the FluTracker team. We’ve been sharing our work at conferences, spreading the word in major media, helping Fortune 100 and Federal agencies with preparedness planning, and continuing to track an emerging threat. Read more »
Concerned citizens and medical professionals alike need detailed, timely information about the spread of H1N1 swine flu to safeguard their communities and families. The CDC and WHO should be releasing more detailed and timely information about the spread of swine flu than is currently available to the public. Moreover, both organizations are releasing information with decreasing frequency, despite the increasing spread of the virus.
Join the call for better flu information by signing the FluTracker petition online! Click here to sign.
BREAKING NEWS – Sudden spikes of swine flu have led the World Health Organization to declare swine flu a pandemic, which is marked by sustained, widespread transmission across the world. Health leaders announced in the Times of London: “We need to avoid complacency in dealing with a virus that is an unknown and seems to be spreading quickly.” (Watch a video of swine flu’s spread)
Tools to help your organization respond
In response to this emerging challenge, Rhiza Labs created FluTracker to get more flu information to more people more quickly. FluTracker has been acknowledged as tracking the spread of swine flu 5-10 days faster than the CDC. While FluTracker remains free for personal use, Fortune 100 companies, public agencies, and major hospitals have engaged Rhiza to tailor FluTracker to their needs. For example, AT&T purchases FluTracker data to track flu outbreaks in relation to their employees around the world. Whether you need the information and tools to analyze it, or you want the information for analysis in your own system, FluTracker fits your needs.
Prepare, plan, and protect your assets with FluTracker
Decisions about preparedness, and continuity hinge on complete information. In a tight market, use FluTracker to support critical decisions with the most up-to-date information about the swine flu pandemic.
Purchase FluTracker now to prepare, plan, and protect your assets from an emerging challenge. Call 412-488-0600 or e-mail today.
The FluTracker map makes it easy to determine where clusters of swine flu are in relation to homes, businesses, and facilities. But what about flu information not tied to location, like the average number of new swine flu cases per day, the total growth in cases since the beginning of the epidemic, and the increase in reports of fatal cases„
To support decision-making with even more complete information about swine flu trends, users can now view FluTracker data as charts. Visit FluTracker now to see the latest information.
This movie shows the spread of swine flu county by county throughout the U.S., from April 29 to June 4, 2009. Each county is shaded to reflect the total number of confirmed flu cases up until that day. Purple signifies between 1 and 5 cases; green between 6 and 15, yellow between 16 and 40, and red above 40.
These maps were created using FluTracker, the most comprehensive and up-to-date resource for tracking swine flu worldwide. FluTracker, powered by Rhiza Insight, has been acknowledged as tracking cases 5 days ahead of the CDC.
Government agencies, Fortune 500 companies and nonprofits are all using FluTracker to support their organizational preparedness. Learn more about using FluTracker to help your organization plan for continuity and protect its assets.
“An offer to help a flu researcher has become a surprise shot in the arm for a fledgling South Side company, which is suddenly rewriting its business plan while answering inquiries from a raft of potential clients.”
The headline reads: “Flu fears ease, but next wave looms”. In past pandemics that turned deadly, like 1918′s Spanish flu, a relatively mild spring outbreak preceded a period of greater virulence and fatality the following autumn and winter. MSNBC notes: “[The] big fear is that the current swine flu virus could die down now in the north, but mutate during the ensuing months to become more transmissible and more virulent, fueling a serious outbreak when flu season resumes in that hemisphere.”
The acting director of the Centers for Disease Control notes that this period of time, “between now and fall, is critically important to individual preparedness, the community preparedness and how the impact of this could be on our communities.” As the southern hemisphere enters fall and winter, the collision of seasonal flu and swine flu will illustrate our fall’s potential for serious outbreaks and further virus mutation in the northern hemisphere. Flu conditions in Africa, Australia and Oceania, southern Asia and South America will also have immediate impact on global business.
Information drives both individual preparedness and community preparedness; continuing to monitor this literally evolving challenge is key to maintaining the security of our people and the continuity of our business. FluTracker, powered by Rhiza Insight, has made it easy for researchers and volunteers to enter confirmed and suspected cases of swine flu into a comprehensive system for analysis and tracking. The result is that FluTracker is acknowledged as the most complete and up-to-date resource for tracking swine flu on the Web.
Human resources professionals, corporate security officers, and public policy managers are all using FluTracker to address a critical and evolving challenge. Fortune 500 companies, major telecommunications and news outlets, and government agencies in the United States and Canada turn to FluTracker to prepare, plan, and protect their assets and constituents.
In a tight market, FluTracker can help your business or government make better decisions with more information. Contact Josh Knauer today at 412-488-0600 or to protect your assets with FluTracker.
