Researchers at the University of Iowa say it might be possible to track flu outbreaks earlier than we think.
In a new report, the authors tracked data from a smartphone app called Kinza that allows users to take their temperature, record their symptoms and keep track of other health-related information.
To give you an idea, smart thermometers over 8 million temperature readings generated by almost 450,000 unique devices between last August and December. User can provide other information as well.
When that data is sent to the app's manufacturer, researchers say it can accurately track the spread of the flu several weeks ahead of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.
The smart thermometer app is made by Kinsa.
Source: Science Daily