Could you imagine being able to predict when the flu was going to hit your town in advance so you could just avoid the virus altogether?
Researchers from Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health recently won an award from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention for discovering how to forecast the flu.
The team used weather forecasting to create a mathematical formula that applies to flu data, reported CNN.
They created an interactive map to see when the flu is coming that looks similar to an interactive weather map that tracks the weather. The flu map shows the severity of flu cases in various cities across the country, lists incidence numbers, future predicted incidence numbers and a forecast graphic that says when the flu will be at its peak for a particular city.
"This provides people a window into the future and what pathogens might be coming down the pike," said professor Jeffrey Shaman, who developed the tool with a team of infectious disease experts. "It may help parents decide when to schedule their children's play dates or it may also help remind people to think about getting vaccinated for influenza," if they know that their city is going to be hit particularly hard during one week.
This new model is also a huge advance for flu researchers, as it's the first to map the virus before it happens instead of after the fact. The proactive approach taken by the researchers could help prevent more people from getting the flu.
The timing of the model's release came about a week after CDC announced that the North American flu shot may not be enough protection against the strain of the flu that is out this season, HNGN previously reported.
