When you can aggregate billions of pieces of search data, you can do some amazing things.
Like figure out where the flu is reaching epidemic proportions ahead of everybody else.
During last year's flu season, an early version of Google Flu Trends was used to share data with the CDC. According to Google, "Across each of the nine surveillance regions of the United States, we were able to accurately estimate current flu levels one to two weeks faster than published CDC reports."
Two weeks can save lives.
Read more about how Flu Trends works here.
By the way, get a flu shot.
Even the $30 shots at the local CVS or Walgreens are cheap when compared with the amount of money lost when you actually get sick.
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