Mining Social Media and Web Searches For Disease Detection

Yang, Y. Tony; Horneffer, Michael; DiLisio, Nicole

A recent study conducted by researchers at Yale University School of Medicine and Clemson University found that consideration of transmission is an important factor when developing a vaccination policy. 11 Furthermore, the study concluded that previous and new CDC recommendations are suboptimal based on five outcome measures: total infections averted, total deaths averted, years of life lost, contingent valuation (an assumption of life value based on age), and economic costs. The controversy over who should be eligible to receive a vaccine when the supply is limited is not one that is easily resolved. New technologies, such as real-time surveillance, have provided access to unprecedented resources that can be used to fight the spread of infectious diseases. The ability to quickly and efficiently disseminate information plays a vital role in preventing an outbreak from getting out of control. 11