Crowdsourced Data Mapping Tool Reveals Elevated Flu-Like Symptoms Across US Geographies, Public Participation Can Help Track The Spread Of COVID-19
/Kinsa Smart Thermometer Device Records Anonymous Fever Data In Real Time, Download The Free App - Jersey City, NJ
Submitted by Debra Italiano, Founder & Chair Sustainable JC
The award winning, US public health tech company Kinsa Health has been around for awhile, providing about a million households (2 million consumers) with useful feedback about their health symptoms, through a smart thermometer device. The device can be used standalone or with a connected free app you can download which provides feedback
In partnership with Oregon State University, Kinsa Health now publishes a US Health Weather Map which provides a visualization of seasonal illness associated with influenza symptoms, typified by increased fever symptoms. The map has been ahead of the CDC in projecting flu rates each season for years and is used by public health officials to prepare each season.
In these times of COVID-19, given that heightened fever is a primary symptom, this tracks to potential for the virus and is serving as an AN EARLY WARNING SYSTEM for public health officials, municipal decisionmakers and first responders seeking information about where the COVID-19 virus might be spreading based on real time reported public health data.
While widespread testing in the US is still not available for COVID-19 and must be managed judiciously due to supply issues, this complementary data tool can activate quick response measures and act as a very worthwhile surveillance reporting device that people fighting to contain the spread of COVID-19 desperately need. Dr. Peter J. Hotez, Dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, said: “If this tells you where there are new major clusters of fever, it tells you where to swoop in with your test kits.”
As anticipation of opening up the economy prompts planning about the need for an extensive infrastructure of testing, containment and surveillance measures, and given this will be quite the feat to accomplish, (time, money, complexity), this very low cost form of public health surveillance (anonymous) can be deployed quickly and easily and can save lives. Here is how the Kinsa FLUency program is operating in a Michigan school district Parents active in the JC school district please suggest that we use the device and app to the JC School Board !
The data visualized on the Kinsa Health Weather US map shown is the product of the size of the network of Kinsa’s Smart Thermometers and the connected mobile applications. The map has been ahead of the CDC in projecting flu rates each season for years and is used by public health officials to prepare each season. The grayed areas on the map, mostly rural areas, are obviously not connected in the aggregated database yet. As more crowdsourced data comes into the database, the map will change in real time and the projections for each zip code will change.
Kinsa Health is careful to state that the data they are providing is COMPLIMENTARY, but clearly this very important elevated fever data is quite valuable to note for public health officials and is being used in NYC right now. For example, the NYTs story broke last month when Kinsa offered what they noticed as a Brooklyn spike in fever readings after winter flu season had begun to downturn. The unusual readings were used as an alert that something unusual was happening, put the health department on notice, enabling them to mobilize an informed effort to contain a possible infectious cluster from spreading.
SJC is a fan of crowdsourced data programs and have spearheaded a couple of Citizen Science projects where the public was able to jump in and to create a data repository that becomes a helpful decision making tool for good things to happen. The Kinsa Smart Thermometer is a brilliant example of how we can all assist with crowdsourcing data that will be helpful to officials trying to stay ahead of the curve of this deadly disease. Other countries are now on a regimen of taking their temperature twice daily, it may be time for US citizens to begin to do the same.
The cost is $35.99 on the Kinsa website and they have a BUY 1 DONATE 1 Kinsa Health Commitment program, which gets more thermometers distributed to under-resourced schools, improving their ability to track and contain the pandemic. Quick video about using the app here.
