IBM and over twenty major worldwide public health institutions, including the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in May announced the Global Pandemic Initiative, a collaborative effort to help stem the spread of infectious diseases.
The press release stated:
With growing concerns over potential outbreaks of new strains of disease, and their ability to spread more easily because of modern transportation, IBM scientists have formed a steering committee with worldwide health organizations and universities to guide efforts to address the issue. Together, they will explore the use of advanced analytical and computer technology as part of a global preparedness program for responding to potential infectious disease outbreaks around the world.
The Economist this week commented that The Global Pandemic Initiative
is a collaboration between the WHO and the CDC, together with IBM, a large computer firm, and over a dozen other groups. It is intended to develop “the use of advanced analytical and computer technology as part of a global preparedness programme for responding to potential infectious disease outbreaks.” One approach IBM hopes to take is to develop software that will help predict how diseases might spread.
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