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In order to inform the public about the health risks that are spreading around the world (or just to scare bejeezus from already paranoid people), the startup Metabiota has published a free epidemic monitoring tool for all. the monitored homes. publicly around the world.
The San Francisco-based company considers its tool as a public health service, given that the World Economic Forum has estimated that pandemics could cause annual losses of $ 570 billion to the global economy and that new strains Drug-resistant bacteria and deadly diseases continue to proliferate.
The company even cites recent information that the appearance of the Candida auris antiseptic and drug-resistant pathogen is a determining factor in its decision to publish the tool.
"Until now, organizations had no effective way to plan – and to mobilize against – emerging threats to health," said Bill Rossi, CEO of Metabiota. in a report. "As we have seen with the impact of the Zika virus, where travel warnings are associated with significant financial losses for the hospitality industry, infectious diseases can have repercussions in the event of economic difficulties and problems. health. This tracker aligns with Metabiota's mission to make the world more resilient to threats to human and economic health by providing an open, focused and balanced view of emerging and ongoing epidemics. "
As a general source of information, the tracking is correct, but the tool has no granularity or the level of detail that would allow users to make decisions based on information provided by Metabiota. For this, the company will encourage you to the disease surveillance service that earned him $ 30 million in funding four years ago.
"This turnkey digital platform is open to anyone who wants to know more about the ongoing epidemics that are affecting the world," said Ben Oppenheim, Product Manager at Metabiota, in a statement. "This tracker only touches the surface of what we offer on the market in our premium licensed version, which includes models of pathogens and clues for more advanced analysis and risk analysis. . "
Basically, it is a sales tool that can take advantage of the fears of a population in general who hears too much and understands too little about the threats posed by epidemics.
It is worth mentioning here that Slate emphasizes the real importance of the coverage received by Candida auris superbug.
The superbug is worth treating because health organizations have to allocate resources to understand it and find ways to stop it, but there is still no huge risk to health. This is because people exposed to and infected by the bacteria are people whose immune systems are already seriously compromised.
As Susan Matthews writes: "The danger for hospitals of spreading these outbreaks could be to make those who need immediate medical attention – and who are at relatively low risk of infection – fearable. get this help. For the smallest number of people who have had elective surgery and could have canceled their surgery, the benefit to the public is relatively small or non-existent. "
Similarly, no one should make decisions based on the very limited data provided by monitoring the Metabiota outbreak.
If a consumer is morbidly curious to know all the epidemics currently followed by Metabiota's new free tool, he can consult it. But for something more than collecting basic information, the tool is no longer a symptom of the means by which companies are trying to take advantage of the overall paranoia surrounding the health risks that it has. is a cure.
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