Harvard following social networks for swine flu signals

Several hundred Harvard students are taking part in an experiment that tests social networks as early warning systems for disease spread, the Harvard Crimson reports.

Dr. Nicholas A. Christakis, who is a Harvard Medical School professor as well as a house master at Harvard, is well known for his research into social networks as important influences on behavior. His work has linked the spread of happiness, quitting smoking, and obesity to circles of friends.

Now he is asking 650 randomly selected Harvard undergraduates to report twice a week for 12 weeks on whether they have flu symptoms, the story said. The students are also being asked to supply the names of three friends and to assess their own popularity.

"By looking both at whether you’ve had the flu and where you are in the social network, we think you can get an early warning of an epidemic," Christakis told the Crimson. "If this works, we’ll have invented a new method for attacking diseases, which could have broad relevance far outside Harvard."