Kirkland-based Veratect tracking swine flu outbreak

April 27, 2009 2:23 pm
Precautions such as wearing a mask are low-tech measures shown to fight the spread of epidemic diseases.
Precautions such as wearing a mask are low-tech measures shown to fight the spread of epidemic diseases.

With a possible swine flu outbreak recently dominating headlines, a local technology firm is using the opportunity to claim how they predicted the spread of the disease a month ago.

Kirkland-based Veratect Corporation, a company that tracks disease outbreaks globally, say their medical data monitoring network first detected the current swine influenza outbreak. The company said in an April 26 press release they will soon make the data proving they acted as a “canary in the coal mine” public.

The up‐to‐the‐minute information on the potential spreadof the disease is available via Twitter at www.twitter.com/veratect.

While no public health agency has definitively identified the swine flu outbreak origin, Veratect believes the first case of the disease was identified on March 30. They reported the disease had spread in an outbreak “18 days before the World Health Organization (WHO) posted it’s public report.”

“We want to provide Veratect’s services to everyone concerned about this outbreak so they can have the information they need to respond in a timely and effective manner,” said Veratect CEO Robert Hart.

Before the WHO or the Center for Disease Control (CDC) had issued any public warnings of the virus, Veratect had already contacted officials at Seattle-King County Public Health and several state agencies across the Pacific Northwest with their findings.

The current outbreak of swine flu has killed more than 80 people in Mexico and now is rapidly spreading through the U.S. and other countries. There have been no deaths in the U.S. as a result of the flu, though The New York Times reports that health officials anticipate more severe cases as the infection spreads.

Meanwhile, local public health officials are taking the threat of a possible outbreak seriously and are urging residents to: stay at home if you have a fever; wash hands frequently; health care providers should follow CDC guidelines for screening; and go to King County Public Health Webpage for more information.

The Puget Sound Business Journal is also reporting Veratect’s work on swine flu detection, published April 26.