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October 30, 2009

Swine flu? Yes, there's an app for that

Well, it was only a matter of time. Last month, we told you about an iPhone application called Outbreaks Near Me, designed by researchers from the Children's Hospital of Boston, promising to help you track every move of the H1N1 virus.

There's also an application called Swine Flu Tracker from IntuApps which maps suspected cases and even informs you of the "threat level" of the virus. OK, this is just too Sci-Fi for me.

Well, of course, there's a new application designed to inform health geeks, iPhone addicts and hypochondriacs alike about all things H1N1. This one, however, carries the cache of Harvard Medical School and aims to educate more than entertain.

For $1.99 -- you didn't think it was free, did you? -- you get tools to help diagnose yourself, news feed from Harvard Medical School on the latest H1N1 updates from the CDC and local public health officials, and advice from Harvard Business School experts on how employers can best prepare their workers for a pandemic and even business guides for traveling employees.

It also offers phone hotlines for more flu information and guides for preparing for a pandemic emergency.

It's part of Harvard's overall strategy to promote public health through technology with its new venture called HMSMobile, where you can also check out a trailer of the new iPhone app.

What do you think? Any takers?

photo: AFP/Getty

 

 

Posted by Kelly Brewington at 7:00 AM | | Comments (3)
Categories: Swine flu/H1N1
        

Comments

Hi Kelly, I'm testing out all 3 applications. Im not prepared to give a review here in the comments but I can say the Harvard app looks on the cover to be pretty good however alot of the info in it can be found in other apps for Free. i think they are leveraging their credibility to charge for the app!

Mario, that's really interesting feedback. Do you intend to use the apps much?

There's a web site called www.feelingflu.com - you can't get the information yet from your IPhone but it's the most comprehensive, easy to understand resource out there. And it has an assessment tool that you can take to find out what your symptoms mean.

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About Picture of Health
Meredith CohnMeredith Cohn has been a reporter since 1991, covering everything from politics and airlines to the environment and medicine. A runner since junior high and a particular eater for almost as long, she tries to keep up on health and fitness trends. Her aim is to bring you the latest news and information from the local and national medical and wellness communities.

Andrea K. WalkerAndrea K. Walker knows it’s weird to some people, but she has a fascination with fitness, diseases, medicine and other health-related topics. She subscribes to a variety of health and fitness magazines and becomes easily engrossed in the latest research in health and science. An exercise fanatic, she’s probably tried just about every fitness activity there is. Her favorites are running, yoga and kickboxing. So it is probably fitting that she has been assigned to cover the business of healthcare and to become a regular contributor to this blog. Andrea has been at The Sun for nearly 10 years, covering manufacturing, retail , airlines and small and minority business. She looks forward to telling readers about the latest health news.
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