KHQ Right Now - News and Weather for Spokane and North Idaho | From Youtube to Twitter, millions head to Internet for latest on Swine Flu

From Youtube to Twitter, millions head to Internet for latest on Swine Flu

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SPOKANE, Wash. - From YouTube and Twitter, people around the world are looking to the web for up-to-the-minute information on the swine flu outbreak.

On YouTube, the Centers for Disease Control reaches out directly to people who may have been exposed to the swine flu.

The Mexican Government is doing the same.

As the effects of the swine flu outbreak spread from Mexico to the United States and beyond, people are increasingly turning to the web and social networking sites in particular to keep up.

The CDC established a pair of web-pages on the swine flu and another on pandemics in general that are constantly updated.

The CDC is also on Twitter, where more than 70,000 users are following its tweets.

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Facebook too has set up a special page to update users on the swine flu situation.

If you want to track the spread of the disease yourself, Google is constantly updating a map  pinpointing worldwide cases of the disease.

The seriousness of the situation is even prompting some on the web to post their own videos with their own advice.

One of the web's biggest advantages - the ease of posting material - is, at times, requiring users to spend more time checking the reliability of the information.

That's why many traditional news sites are seeing a spike in their traffic as well.

Even gaming sites are getting into the act. One flash based game called swinefighter even includes a list of CDC precautions to prevent the spread of the swine flu.