Rhiza Labs FluTracker Forum

I am very disappointed with, as far as I know, misleading information about H1N1 swine flu for Ukraine, Lviv. I have visited this Rhiza Labs FluTracker google from wiki when searching information for H1N1 virus, and of course I wanted to see data for my native city Lviv, Ukraine. And I was shocked, because FluTracker map shows as much as 78125 probable/confirmed cases. That would be like 1 of 10 citizens is ill on H1N1 in Lviv. Terrible!!! Were do you get that data?
I've tried to find out what is the source of such presumption... and could not! When you click on the circle in FluTracker map for Lviv, Ukraine, it show you the link on data source. And here you go, you can see that previous data was taken from Ukraine Health Ministry official cite. It states that there is about "Confirmed/Probable Cases: 9154". With that I can agree, because it is confirmed with official information.
Now what is the case with last data:
"Reported Location: L\'viv, Ukraine
Confirmed/Probable Cases: 78125
Fatal Cases: 23
This is an aggregated report based on 6 reports near the same location."

Were did you get that data? Where is the source of aggregated report? Who did that report based on what information? Near the same location - is that like the whole Ukraine, or Ternopil'ska oblast'?
As much as 781125, ha?

Maybe I understand something wrong, than please explain to me why a person from anywhere in the world, that would like to find out information about Lviv, would be misinformed with your FluTracker map data. And I cannot agree that this information is true, until there would be at least a link to the information that was taken as a background for this data.

Thank you in advance,

I hope this would be fixed.

QA Enqineer,
Lviv, Ukraine

More over, the name of the map is FluTracker: Tracking the progress of H1N1 swine flu, but... the source for "Confirmed/Probable Cases: 9154" counts for people ill on flue, not a specific H1N1 swine flu.
Don't you think there is a great difference between two confirmed/probable cases:
1. 9154 in Lviv oblast (take into consideration, Lviv oblas't, not in Lviv city) are ill on flu
2. 9154 in Lviv oblast (take into consideration, Lviv oblas't, not in Lviv city) are ill on H1N1 swine flu

And 9154 that is the only number that should be taken into consideration, as per previous post, with remark that: this is number of people confirmed to be ill with Flu (no information on confirmed number of H1N1 flu)
or something like that.

As for Aggregated report: it states: for Lviv... not for Lviv oblast', Western Region of Ukraine, or else. Is this aggregation of reports for Lviv city? or else? Were do you take that?

Please do not mislead

the 78125 number came from your own government. all of those numbers came from reports released by the Ukrainian government.

_________________
USAF recruit. Current ship date, 8/3/10. Assigned duty, imagery interpretation.

I am a semi-computer specialist and do IT for my church and friends. Also work with birds of prey at a rehab center for raptors.

If this data came from the government report than there should be a link to government report, or at least a reference to data source. This data was taken from some source. Were is this source.
Still your reply doesnot answer the question if this is the data for Lviv city, or Lviv region or else. Prof-link would fix that.
There is no way such number is true for Lviv city. This IS misleading data.

I'm pretty sure it is for the region. Everything in the reports are listed by region.

_________________
USAF recruit. Current ship date, 8/3/10. Assigned duty, imagery interpretation.

I am a semi-computer specialist and do IT for my church and friends. Also work with birds of prey at a rehab center for raptors.

This is a google translation page from Ministry of Health of Ukraine:
http://translate.google.com.ua/translat ... ID%3D13943

Extracts:
Lviv Oblast
General number of ill people- 69176
Total for Influenza - 6694
Total for ARI (acute respiratory infection) - 62482

Please note:
1. Lviv oblast (Lviv region), but not in Lviv only.
2. Influenza - 6694, this stands for influenza in general not H1N1. Do you have numbers for H1N1?
3. ARI - 62482, not Influenza or specificaly N1H1

Information for ARI or ILI (Influenza-like illness) taken from Wiki (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acute_resp ... _infection):
"...Technically, any clinical diagnosis of influenza is a diagnosis of ILI, not of influenza. This distinction usually is of no great concern because, regardless of cause, most cases of ILI are mild and self-limiting. Furthermore, except perhaps during the peak of a major outbreak of influenza, most cases of ILI are not due to influenza.[2][3] ILI is very common: in the United States each adult and child can average 1–3 and 3–6 episodes per year of ILI.[2] ..."
"...nfluenza-like illness is a nonspecific respiratory illness characterized by fever, fatigue, cough, and other symptoms that stop within a few days. Most cases of ILI are caused not by influenza but by other viruses (e.g., rhinoviruses and respiratory syncytial virus, adenoviruses, and parainfluenza viruses)..."

"During the 2009 swine flu outbreak many thousands of cases of ILI were reported in the media as suspected swine flu. Most were false alarms."

This is in all way very different from
"Reported Location: L\'viv, Ukraine
Confirmed/Probable Cases: 78125
Fatal Cases: 23
This is an aggregated report based on 6 reports near the same location."

Unfortunately when reading information from the map, I was not so sure that this was for region, as the report says: Lviv, Ukraine. The same will be for people attending this site for information.

You can compare this to Ternopil', were there is separate data for Ternopil' city, and Ternopil oblast' (Aggregated report).
Can you edit Aggregated report for Lviv, so it would have "Lviv oblast" as a 'Report Location'?
Still do not know were 78125 is taken from, if officials say 69176 ( as of 1/11/2009) and this stands minimaly for Influenza, mostly for ARI, and there is no official data for N1H1, at least at that report?

Is there any possibility to be more specific when posting numbers? Like writing:
"Reported Location: L'viv oblast', Ukraine
General Illness: 69176 (Influenza - 6694; ARI - 62482)
Fatal Cases: 23
Source: http://www.moz.gov.ua/ua/main/press/?docID=13943

or if else, post a link to reports that were aggregated.

In general What I am saying that when someone is opening a map with a title "FluTracker: Tracking the progress of H1N1 swine flu" and opens his city, in this case L'viv, what one is getting from the map, that there is probably 70000+ people ill with H1N1 swine flu in Lviv. Which is totally NOT true. This information in a way it is presented to user is in all ways misleading. I am sure this map was made to bring all but pure information to everyone, but if treated wrongly this information has no value. And I believe that treating information rightly is like:
1. show source information.
2. Show correct description for the information, as in source.
3. making note when making prediction, that this is only a prediction.
4. when it comes to generalization, show by which criteria generalization was made (for ex. data is aggregated from 6 report: 1. report location; 2. aggregation method) or something like that.

Latest Ukranian update shows for Lviv Region

89669 cases of ARI/FLU
2120 Hospital Admissions
29 Deaths

Update at http://www.moz.gov.ua/ua/main/press/?docID=13950
Translated link http://translate.googleusercontent.com/ ... sFDMm9MuEg

====

As you say they are not confirmed cases but suspected. Today's update in spreadsheet form attached.

Ok then, so based on that data you have updated information in "FluTracker: Tracking the progress of H1N1 swine flu"
to the following:
"Reported Location: L\'viv, Ukraine
Confirmed/Probable Cases: 78126
Fatal Cases: 24
This is an aggregated report based on 7 reports near the same location."

You are quoting my previous post, but it seems like you haven't read it.
You are saying that "89669 cases of ARI/FLU" but still you are making no progress in information posted in FluTracker, neither there is an answer for raised questions.

"As you say they are not confirmed cases but suspected" does it sound the same as Confirmed/Probable Cases: 78126? Confirmed/probable cases of N1H1? Confirmed or probable?
"Report Location: Lviv, Ukraine" - do you agree that "Lviv, Ukraine", and "Lviv oblast, Ukraine" is a great difference?
Do you understand the difference between ARI, Influenza and specific N1H1?

Keep misleading people, that would do a great job for someone...probably.