Web2.0 Might Save Your Life

Like the Internet, Flu is a global issue. It is a Pandemic disease. Yesterday I stayed in bed all day, under the influence of the Influenza Virus – that’s the Flu for you and me. What a bummer it was…
The day before yesterday, I started to feel the symptoms and knew I had it for sure. I was at a gas station to fuel my car and I saw this ad on their indoor TV network about a Portuguese website where you could actually contribute to help Doctors keep track of the Virus’s incidence (through geo-tracking by Zip Code) and intensity. When I arrived home, I registered, supplied all my info (including symptoms) and felt really good about it. I felt participatory and that my contribution could make a difference. I mean, let’s face it: governmental services do not have the agility and the resources to do this by themselves… It’s up to us to help them help us.
Of course this innovation isn’t exclusive to Portugal. The U.S. also has the same kind of website (sponsored by Roche). The figures they present are really overwhelming:

Influenza kills 20,000 to 40,000 Americans annually (…) Influenza costs the United States an average $14.6 billion in direct and indirect costs each year.

So think about it, it’s up to all of us to help them in helping us… The global intelligence of the participatory web might have a crucial role in fighting pandemics.