Google flu trends for Canada
Google Flu Trends uses aggregated Google search data to estimate flu activity
Tracker uses relationship between how many people search for flu-related topics and how many people actually have flu symptoms
Google Flu Trends offers a glimpse of how many people are sick with the flu based on how many people are searching for information on flu-related symptoms.
Researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say it can act as an early warning of an outbreak.
In Canada, flu season usually runs from November to April and an estimated 10 to 25 per cent of Canadians may get the flu each year.
Most recover completely, but an estimated 4,000 to 8,000 Canadians, mostly seniors, die every year from pneumonia related to flu, and many others may die from other serious complications, according to Health Canada.