National Flu Surveillance Network Surpasses 800 Sites Across
the United States
OKLAHOMA CITY--(BW HealthWire)--Jan. 5, 2000--The National Flu Surveillance Network(TM) (NFSN), an
Internet-based disease surveillance and tracking service developed and managed by ZymeTx, Inc. (NASDAQ: ZMTX -
news), has now enrolled more than 800 physician surveillance sites.
More than 3,600 physicians participate in the NFSN through the 800 sites.
``The addition of 300 sites since November 1999 significantly expands the geographical scope of the network,' stated
Norman R. Proulx, president and CEO of ZymeTx. ``The number of physicians participating in the program has doubled,
allowing the NFSN to deliver pinpointed information on the spread of influenza with unmatched accuracy.'
The NFSN is the first online network able to locate, monitor and track flu outbreaks across the United States in virtual
real-time. Information about the spread of influenza in the United States can be accessed over the Internet at
www.fluwatch.com. Now in its second year, the NFSN has become the largest dedicated site for monitoring and tracking
influenza in the United States.
``The NFSN represents a vital link in overall influenza disease management,' continued Proulx. ``Its ability to alert medical
practitioners, public health officials and the general public of the presence and prevalence of flu in a community is a vital
early warning system against the spread of flu.'
NFSN sites use the technology of ZymeTx's ZstatFlu(TM) point-of-care flu diagnostic test to confirm the flu. The first flu
diagnostic test to reach the market, ZstatFlu is the only test able to detect all strains of influenza A and B with 99%
specificity after a simple throat swab.
``The ability to detect influenza early and accurately with ZstatFlu allows doctors to take appropriate, proactive steps to
either reduce or prevent the impact of flu within a given population of patients,' commented Robert J. Hudson, M.D.,
managing director of the NFSN. ``The development of ZstatFlu, combined with the technology of the Internet, provides the
NFSN its functionality and validation. The availability of new FDA-approved drugs for the treatment of flu this year puts
into place, for the first time ever, all of the elements required for a comprehensive influenza disease management program.'
``The geographic scope of the NFSN's coverage makes it possible in certain locations to pinpoint pending flu outbreaks by
zip codes. We are close to being able to issue flu warnings to neighborhoods in several of the largest cities in the United
States,' concluded Hudson.
Daily reports from surveillance sites are examined at the NFSN center in Oklahoma City, and results are posted on the
NFSN's fluwatch.com Internet site. The NFSN alerts medical professionals and visitors to the fluwatch.com site via media
advisories and e-mail whenever significant changes in the presence of flu are confirmed in their communities.
About the Company
ZymeTx, Inc. is an emerging biotechnology company engaged in the development of unique products for the diagnosis and
treatment of viral diseases, viral management and disease surveillance. ZstatFlu and National Flu Surveillance Network are
trademarks of ZymeTx, Inc.
Safe Harbor Statement
Statements in this news release that are not strictly historical, including statements as to plans, objectives and future
financial performance, are ``forward-looking' statements that are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Although ZymeTx believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking
statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that the expectations will prove to be correct. Factors that could cause
actual results to differ materially from ZymeTx's expectations include, among others, competition within the viral disease
detection and treatment industry; the Company's access to and the market's acceptance of new products; the Company's
ability to market therapeutic products; the Company's ability to establish and/or expand contractual relationships with
managed care organizations; the effects of economic conditions and government regulation on the healthcare market and on
reimbursement policies; as well as the risks, uncertainties and other factors described from time to time in the Company's
periodic filings on Forms 10-QSB and 10-KSB on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Contact:
ZymeTx, Inc.
Norman R. Proulx, CEO or
G. Carl Gibson, CFO, 405/271-1314
www.zymetx.com
or
The Gooden Group
Jane Braden, 405/715-3232 |
