Google dives into health trends

Mega-innovator Google has unveiled a new service called Flu Trends to provide an early warning system for disease outbreaks, The New York Times reports.

The service is based on a simple premise: when people start to feel flu-like symptoms they often turn to Google to search for advice.

By geographically tracking and collating these searches, Google.org – the company's philanthropic unit – says it can show where flu outbreaks are occurring. 

It's claimed the new web tool has potential to identify regional outbreaks of influenza up to 10 days earlier than US Government health officials.