Like the swine flu itself, online information (and misinformation) about the virus is spreading quickly. For healthcare professionals looking for timely and credible updates, set your browsers or smartphones to these sites:
In the US, the CDC is tracking the virus and posting updates fairly regularly to its Twitter feed for emergency response. The CDC’s information office also posts updates, including links to news conferences on YouTube on a separate Twitter feed
A HealthMap view of the swine flu outbreak
For a more visual view into the spread, Healthmap is a handy Google-type mashup created by researchers at Children’s Hospital in Boston, MA. Healthmap relies on varied data sources ranging from news sources to validated official alerts from the World Health Organization to pull together a global map pinpointing new outbreaks. Healthmap updates on Twitter are also available.
Healthcare social networking sites like QuantiaMD and Sermo are also abuzz with flu chatter. Dr. Joseph Li, Director of Hospital Medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, invites you to participate in a QuantiaMD survey to document physician response to the swine flu outbreak. Registration is required, but it’s well worth a minute or two of your time to contribute your opinions.
Finally, it’s worth noting in a column about gadgets, that patients may ask about a decidedly non-technical one to ease their fears: the respirator mask. 3M Nexcare claims the “only FDA cleared N95 respirator for use by the general public in a public health medical emergency.” Alas, Amazon.com and other online outlets are finding it difficult to keep the item in stock.
