Microsoft’s own Peter Neupert has some good thoughts on technology and the H1N1 Flu (Swine Flu) today:
With the media hype machine driving minute by minute coverage, it’s hard not to think about devastating epidemics and pandemics of the past—typhoid fever, smallpox, etc…—illnesses that spread uncontrollably and killed millions.
While we should be concerned, we should also remember just how far we’ve come in facing these challenges. Today, the Internet, blogs, instant messaging, and other technologies can disseminate information about new threats and new medical knowledge faster than ever before. Technology gives us the opportunity to face these crises better than we have in the past.
Check out some of what the Center for Disease Control and Prevention is doing in social media for an example of this good work: www.cdc.gov/socialmedia.
We on the Windows Team are excited about a small role we’re playing here putting Center for Disease Control and Prevention health tips and World Health Organization news updates at the top of people’s browsers through a new Swine Flu Web Slice for Internet Explorer 8, now available at www.ieaddons.com. Education and awareness is key to helping prevent the spread of this threat and in furthering medical knowledge around the globe and we’re hopeful this solution on Internet Explorer 8 can play a role in helping people stay up-to-speed.
UPDATE: Check out this blog post from Microsoft Evangelist Giorgio Sardo on how he made the Swine Flu Web Slice for Internet Explorer 8.