Wasn’t that a wonderful Olympic opening ceremony yesterday (depends on who you ask)? Today, the games are off to a flying start. Technology helps covers it all. Technology also fights a more serious battle…the battle against the Zika virus.
In the last year or so, the Zika virus spread like wildfire throughout Brazil. The Olympic games were affected. Some Olympians even chose not to participate because of the Zika threat. Smartphone apps are fighting the Zika threat. The WHO (World Health Organization) has the WHO Zika App. It arms you with critical Zika information. It gives general information, symptoms, and prevention measures. And it updates people on the latest Zika related news. The WHO isn’t the only one developing apps fighting Zika. The PDC (Pacific Disaster Center) app tracks Zika all over the world. It highlights breeding grounds. Using GPS systems, the PDC tracks where Zika is most acquired, most suspected, even which areas are most venerable. According to their maps, Columbia and El Salvador are at high risk. This app also reports on earthquakes, wildfires, and other natural threats. Thermometer company Kinsa is doing it’s part. Kinsa uses high tech thermometers to track symptoms and uncover local outbreaks.
All these apps are good to have. If you’re in Brazil, I highly recommend you get one. They’re available on all Apple and Android devices and they’re free. But the PDC app is the most thorough. It gives total Zika cases by nation and by a nation’s region. It gives the number of cases among pregnant women. This is extremely important. It’s believed the Zika virus among pregnant women causes microcephaly. Microcephaly is a condition where babies are born with shrunken heads. This could lead to huge development problems later in life. Brazil is faced with a lot of problems right now. During the opening ceremonies, there were mass protests surrounding them. Let’s hope these apps will keep people safe. I’d like to keep the focus on the games themselves. Don’t you?