Melbourne: Internet-based surveillance can detect infectious diseases such as dengue fever and influenza up to two weeks earlier than traditional methods, scientists say.

People's habit of Googling for an online diagnosis before visiting a doctor can provide early warning of an infectious disease epidemic, researchers said.

When investigating the occurrence of epidemics, spikes in searches for information about infectious diseases could accurately predict outbreaks of that disease, said senior author of the study Dr Wenbiao Hu from Queensland University of Technology.

Hu, based at QUT's Institute for Health and Biomedical Innovation, said there was often a lag time of two weeks before traditional surveillance methods could detect an emerging infectious disease.

"This is because traditional surveillance relies on the patient recognising the symptoms and seeking treatment before diagnosis, along with the time taken for health professionals to alert authorities through their health networks," Hu said.

"In contrast, digital surveillance can provide real-time detection of epidemics," he added.

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