IOWA CITY, Iowa, March 1 (UPI) -- The University of Iowa and Iowa Health Prediction Market have developed a system to collect and analyze data if a human-to-human bird flu outbreak occurred.
The Avian Flu Market is an information trading and aggregation system to help public health officials around the world collect and analyze information to forecast the timing and extent of a human-to-human bird flu outbreak.
"Many health care workers are the first to know about influenza activity in their communities and that information can help predict the course of an infectious disease," said study leader Forrest Nelson of the university.
"This forecasting tool taps into that disperse knowledge to provide important new information about the development and spread of avian flu, and better ready ourselves to protect public health both here and abroad."
The AFM is a spinoff of the Iowa Electronic Market, which has achieved an impressive prediction record that is superior to alternative mechanisms such as opinion polls, according to Nelson.
