As the threat of the swine flu (otherwise known as H1N1) pandemic become more serious and President Obama declares a national emergency over the rapidly spreading virus, Harvard Medical School is hoping to help educate people with its new iPhone app. The Swine Flu app, which is currently available on the app store, costs $1.99.
The Swine Flu Application includes videos, animations and text that allow you to learn the basics about swine flu, how to reduce the risk to you and your family, and how to prepare your business for the pandemic. The app also features real-time updates and news from Harvard Med School about H1N1.
To let users determine how close outbreaks are to their location, the app has a “HealthMap” feature that lets you know about the state of the epidemic in your current location and other locations. For those uses who are feeling sick but unsure if it is attributed to H1N1, the app has an interactive symptom checker that helps you decide if your symptoms, or your child’s symptoms indicate swine flu, and when it is wise to contact your doctor. And the app includes hotlines and numbers to call (based on the user’s location) in case of an emergency or for more information about H1N1.
The app also includes a section devoted to helping businesses educate employees about the pandemic and includes guides on how to prepare a business to deal with the flu.
There are other apps that provide similar services, such as the Swine Flu Tracker by IntuApps, but none have the backing of one of the foremost medical institutions in the world. The Swine Flu App is part of Harvard Medical School’s greater mobile strategy, called HMS Mobile, which aims to deliver a series of iPhone Applications aimed at promoting public health. It’s not a bad idea, especially considering that Harvard is monetizing the app. It should be interesting to see if Harvard’s newest app takes off; perhaps we will start seeing more medical institutions looking to make a presence on the app store.
I think information about H1N1 flu should be a public service or be part of public domain and not a manifestation of a paid iPhone app.
yeah, plus the fact you can just open up your browser and search on the world health organisation’s website…
it’s not the info they’re paying for…
+1
why didnt they make pu it on a website or even a windows application so 90% of people can use it. only a minority of people own an iphone
All the information that they are providing is already available online.
You are paying to simply get it on your iPhone. A fair thing to do in capitalism – we do live in USA.
Everyone thinking that this app is supposed to be the sole source of disseminating information about swine flu has somehow become insulated from the rest of the USA population. Most people do not have an iPhone. The iPhone the last I checked is less than 15% of the market (and I being generous). This is but one way to get information out and allows some Harvard grads make some money in the process. Get a reality check people. Stop whining about something that makes little sense.
Personally, I do not care that much about H1N1 to go to the CDC website or pay for an App.
Then you spend time building your own application on the subject and give it away for free.
Yeah. People who are willing to pay $1.99 for this app are the same people concerned enough to educate themselves on this matter. If the app’s goal is to spread the word to people who usually wouldn’t bother, then why erect this $1.99 barrier and weed out the exact group they’re targeting? Feels like a total disconnect to me.
For the same reason they sell vaccines: to make money.
Just like grocery stores…damn them for charging for food!
Vaccines are sold because people value it more if when you pay.
Here’s the link to the application itself:
http://appsto.re/HarvardH1N1
Glad to see someone is capitalizing off the pain of others.
Bravo Harvard Medical school !
I thought for a second you were referring to (@sharonam) with his affiliate link
Medical apps injects doubts in minds of people. Not a good idea. Awareness and rumors have very thin line in between.
this is about the dumbest thing i’ve seen in a while, especially considering the swine flu is completely blown out of proportion.
Perhaps they should also mash-up the increase in stock prices of the big pharma players…follow the money.
I wonder what percentage of the public is falling for this flu hype? It is illogical that any person could predict which of the hundreds of strains is suddenly going to become a pandemic.
If you had not been taught from birth that injecting foreign substances into your body would improve your health would you believe it without ever seeing any proof that it does?
There is far more to staying healthy than did something cause you to have immediate symptoms or instantly drop dead. What about the decades of life you have left to live?
My friend is a home health care nurse and works in a hospital too. Her patients in their 80s-90s are burying their children in their 50s-60s instead of the other way around. The elderly are far healthier. If you would live a long, healthy live, ask yourself what has changed in those years and reverse it. If you don’t know, ask me.
There is plenty of proof that vaccines work. How many polio victims have you seen around lately?
Applying resources to issues cost money. $1.99 is pretty inexpensive especially for someone spending a small fortune on an iPhone contract and I’m sure many people are more than willing to pay for this content as it costs less than a cup of coffee.
The team who built the solution has costs, the people who purchase it have a need. They have options to get the content elsewhere if they want – this is a cool app, who cares if they charge for it or not. Don’t buy it if you don’t want it.
im really starting to think that the Swine Flu was created by the medical/health care industry to revitalize the industry in our current economic condition. A “Swine Flu bailout” plan for failing hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, etc.
I think this whole swine flu thing has gotten totally out of proportion AND I think its a hoax like so many other things out there. Do yourself a favor and go look up http://en.wikip...6_U.S._outbreak …. strange how the ‘last swine flu’ ’started’ in the us army and quickly reached the government who insisted that ALL citizens get vaccinated…. no thanks, I say NO to needles, no matter where they are from.
This is a great app, whether it is paid or not. I think more medical schools should start creating innovative apps that the average patient or consumer can use. As a doctor search engine we see the benefits of this app.
Swine Flu? There’s an app for that!
Sorry, couldn’t help it.
If you want to spend money on a Swine Flu app, why not get the “Swine Flue Detector”.
http://itunes.a...800792&mt=8
For a look at the number of confirmed swine flu cases (reported by CDC & WHO) in the US & the world, check out:
http://www.pete...-are-there.html
MediaCurves.com conducted a study among 572 physicians regarding their concerns about the H1N1 swine flu. Results found physicians’ level of concern regarding a potential H1N1 flu pandemic is the highest since initial reports of the virus in April. With regard to the government preparedness in responding to a potential H1N1 epidemic, physicians rated preparedness the lowest since initial reports of the H1N1 virus in April.
More in depth results can be seen at:
http://www.medi...J7608/Index.cfm
Thanks,
Ben
Currently people are rather hysterical because of the swine flu. However, it seems that the fear makes some people quite ingenious.
As this Swine Flu App for iPhones show people get used to deal with the epidemic. In Asia people pimp even their surgical face masks to fit their attire using a socalled stylemask…
Weird World
the research for solutions is not simple as it looks, Harverd can’t continue the research and the publicity without minimal incomes
oh… we have review of all swine flu apps fo iPhone: http://iphoneme...lapps.com/?p=92