WheresFlu App from Novartis Consumer Health

Staying virus-free this flu season involves a regimen of a healthy lifestyle, as well as getting a yearly flu vaccination. However, even these might not be enough if you travel or live in areas where the seasonal flu is more prevalent.
That’s why Novartis has developed a free app specially designed to track and show the incidences of cough, cold, and flu around the United States. The WheresFlu app allows you to choose a location, and it will display the incidences of illness in that area on a four-point scale (low, moderate, high, very high) using data from SDI FAN (a program used to track flu outbreaks). It also shows the top 5 affected cities in the U.S., as well as a strategically placed $2.00 coupon for Novartis’ Theraflu drug brand.
Using the app could not be simpler. When you first open the app (on iOS), it will ask if Wheresflu can use your current location, assuming location services are turned on. Otherwise, the app will ask for your zip code or any other zip code you desire. Wheresflu will then display the incidence of illness for your chosen zip code. Your only other options are to change the location by entering another zip code, read more about the data, share the app with a friend via email, or email yourself the coupon.
There’s a not a whole lot to this app, but it does what it claims to do well. Perhaps to make it even more useful, Novartis could add some practical tips to keep yourself healthy, as well as a feature to find flu clinics or vaccination sites nearby.
Link to app in iTunes Store