tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Epidemiol Infect. 2015 Jul 2:1-8. [Epub ahead of print]
[h=1]Google Flu Trends in Canada: a comparison of digital disease surveillance data with physician consultations and respiratory virus surveillance data, 2010-2014.[/h] Martin LJ[SUP]1[/SUP], Lee BE[SUP]1[/SUP], Yasui Y[SUP]1[/SUP].
[h=3]Author information[/h]
[h=3]Abstract[/h] The value of Google Flu Trends (GFT) remains unclear after it overestimated the proportion of physician visits related to influenza-like illness (ILI) in the United States in 2012-2013. However, GFT estimates (%GFT) have not been examined nationally in Canada nor compared with positivity for respiratory viruses other than influenza. For 2010-2014, we compared %GFT for Canada to Public Health Agency of Canada ILI consultation rates (%PHAC) and to positivity for influenza A and B, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), human metapneumovirus (hMPV), and rhinoviruses. %GFT correlated well with %PHAC (ρ = 0?77-0?90) and influenza A positivity (ρ = 0?64-0?96) and overestimated the 2012-2013 %PHAC peak by 0?99 percentage points. %GFT peaks corresponded temporally with peaks in positivity for influenza A and rhinoviruses (all seasons) and RSV and hMPV when their peaks preceded influenza peaks. In Canada, %GFT represented traditional surveillance data and corresponded temporally with patterns in circulating respiratory viruses.
[h=4]KEYWORDS:[/h] Public health; respiratory infections; surveillance
PMID: 26135239 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
[h=1]Google Flu Trends in Canada: a comparison of digital disease surveillance data with physician consultations and respiratory virus surveillance data, 2010-2014.[/h] Martin LJ[SUP]1[/SUP], Lee BE[SUP]1[/SUP], Yasui Y[SUP]1[/SUP].
[h=3]Author information[/h]
[h=3]Abstract[/h] The value of Google Flu Trends (GFT) remains unclear after it overestimated the proportion of physician visits related to influenza-like illness (ILI) in the United States in 2012-2013. However, GFT estimates (%GFT) have not been examined nationally in Canada nor compared with positivity for respiratory viruses other than influenza. For 2010-2014, we compared %GFT for Canada to Public Health Agency of Canada ILI consultation rates (%PHAC) and to positivity for influenza A and B, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), human metapneumovirus (hMPV), and rhinoviruses. %GFT correlated well with %PHAC (ρ = 0?77-0?90) and influenza A positivity (ρ = 0?64-0?96) and overestimated the 2012-2013 %PHAC peak by 0?99 percentage points. %GFT peaks corresponded temporally with peaks in positivity for influenza A and rhinoviruses (all seasons) and RSV and hMPV when their peaks preceded influenza peaks. In Canada, %GFT represented traditional surveillance data and corresponded temporally with patterns in circulating respiratory viruses.
[h=4]KEYWORDS:[/h] Public health; respiratory infections; surveillance
PMID: 26135239 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]