Google Trends

I’m hooked on Google Trends. For example, it probably won’t astound you to learn that whenever search trends peak for flu symptoms, there’s a similar peak for vaccine.

(See also how at some points vaccine comes first and only then do flu symptoms arise. Conspiracy theorists, the ball is in your court!)

Probing this particular case further, I looked at the search trends for swine flu and vaccine. The former peaks in April 2009 and, to my surprise, vaccine actually declines over the following two months. However, it skyrockets during the third peak of the swine flu searches. What does this tell us? I’d like to speculate that people have become resilient to rumors, needing factual confirmation before rushing to the vaccine line. However, one thing is sure: This is a clear incentive for pharmacies and health care stations. What better time to promote their goods than the minute search trends for flu activity begin to gain statistical momentum?