The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention predicts spread of the flu with text analytics

Part of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) serves the mission of protecting public health. As pandemics emerge, the CDC relies on predictive analytics models to measure and track the spread of diseases to understand their evolution and impact. The CDC builds sophisticated models based on past quantitative data gathered from doctors, emergency rooms, and urgent care centers. Although reliable, these models are reactive and outdated by the time data is analyzed. To be truly predictive, the CDC needed the ability to understand the spread and severity of a wide range of illnesses, even those that were not yet known. During a recent flu season, the Situational Awareness Branch of the CDC looked to prove the value of analyzing real-time text data to create more accurate prediction models. An effective solution would: Examine public discussion to monitor and predict the spread of the flu, Analyze real-time text against historical qualitative data, Perform advanced analyses on incoming conversational text.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is a part of the United States Department of Health and Human Services. It is tasked with protecting public health by controlling and preventing disease, injury, and disability. The CDC is a leading national public health institute in the United States and is involved in various health-related activities, including disease monitoring, health promotion, and emergency preparedness. The organization relies heavily on data and analytics to track and predict the spread of diseases, ensuring timely and effective responses to public health threats. The CDC's mission is to enhance health security and improve public health outcomes through scientific research, policy development, and public health programs.