h1n1

When compared to the Centers for Disease Control's national surveillance of influenza lab tests, data from Google Flu Trends is 25 percent less accurate at estimating rates of lab-confirmed influenza infections, according to a new study out of the University of Washington.

The findings are being reported at the American Thoracic Society 2010 International Conference in New Orleans this week.

Google Flu Trends estimates national rates of flu-like activity by monitoring the popularity of certain Google search queries in real time. This method is precisely the problem, because the influenza virus does not always cause influenza-like illnesses. (The researchers … Read more

Collecting the genomic sequences of various strains of the influenza A virus, as well as the coronavirus that causes Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, has helped in the fight against outbreaks around the globe in recent years.

Using genetics, geography, and phylogenetic trees to map how different strains of pathogens evolve and mutate helps researchers predict hot spots where diseases are most likely to reemerge.

Today, the hope is that Supramap, a Web-based application that operates on parallel programming on computing systems at the Ohio Supercomputer Center and Ohio State University, will better enable researchers to map the spread of disease … Read more

We spend most of today's show covering holiday gifts you won't want to stuff in the stocking of someone you care about... and a few that you might.

ThinkGeek 8-bit tie

Necktie for music-loving commuters

Blacksocks — the Sockscription ™

The Cushy Tushy

Passive aggressive gifts for tardy geeks

The H1N1 Destroying UV Wand

My DNA Fragrance lets you smell like a celebrity… Read more

Updated 5:10 p.m. PST with information about later versions of the e-mail campaign directing to a landing page with hidden code that uses an Adobe exploit to try to download malware onto the system.

You can ignore that e-mail that looks like it comes from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about creating a profile for an H1N1 vaccination program. It's a malware scam, according to security provider AppRiver.

The fake alert informs recipients that as part of a "State Vaccination H1N1 Program" they need to create a profile on the CDC … Read more

You may not know it, but deep within the ivory towers of hospitals a debate is raging over the future of the doctor's necktie. One company has turned the debate into an opportunity with a tie whose stain-resistant coating actually thwarts microbes.

Much evidence has emerged in recent years that doctors wearing ties might actually cause as much harm to patients as doctors who don't wash their hands. In one 2004 study of 42 doctors and medical staffers at the New York Hospital Medical Center of Queens, almost 50 percent of the neckties were host to bacteria that … Read more

On Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the H1N1 virus is widespread in 48 states. Last weekend, the president declared a national emergency. A new vaccine is supposed to save the country from the worst-case scenario. But that vaccine isn't coming as fast as expected and there's lots of skepticism. Should you get it? Can you get it? Is it safe?

To find some answers, 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley went inside the federal government's $3 billion H1N1 vaccine project. This is the first time the public has seen where and how the vaccine … Read more

Molly's out of the office with the swine flu. In her honor, we cover the tech that allows you to keep yourself germ free. Don't worry. Even if you end up with the flu, we also cover the tech that will keep you entertained while you recover.

Want to steer clear of N1H1? Stay off the couch

Self Sanitizing Keyboard (thanks David!)

Keep your arms dry while you wash dishes (or while you wash everything in your house.)

Designer hand sanitizer

Ericsson’s Spider PC projects the keyboard, screen

Driverless car takes you to the doctor

Time-lapse photography on your iphone

Make your iphone photos look like miniatures with tiltshift

If you’re tooly, pass the time with sports: Football

or baseball

or even basketball… Read more

When my husband came down with H1N1 a few weeks back, I was certain I'd get it. As he sweat through a fever that climbed to almost 104 degrees, I took care of him, slept 10 hours a night, and didn't leave the house so as not to spread the virus. And yet the only fever I felt was of the cabin variety.

I thought I'd somehow avoided the highly contagious strain of influenza, but new research indicates that, thanks to my daily habit of biking and/or climbing, I may have gotten away with a barely … Read more

If the new swine flu vaccine doesn't give you the right dose of inner peace, there's another layer of protection at your disposal. It comes from Japan, which means it looks good, too.

According to the U.K. Telegraph, Japanese menswear company Haruyama Trading has developed a suit that it claims can protect wearers from the H1N1 virus.

The suit is coated with titanium dioxide--a chemical commonly used in toothpaste and cosmetics--that breaks down when reacting with light and supposedly kills the virus upon contact. (If you read Japanese, here is the company's press release.)

Despite the … Read more