ZymeTx's National Flu Surveillance
Network Pinpoints Flu Outbreaks by
County in Every State
Influenza Tracking Network Adds State-of-the-Art Technology
OKLAHOMA CITY--(BW HealthWire)--Feb. 3, 2000--The National Flu Surveillance
Network(TM)(NFSN), an Internet-based disease surveillance and tracking service of ZymeTx, Inc.
(Nasdaq: ZMTX - news), unveiled a new version of its www.fluwatch.com today with the
capability of pinpointing and tracking flu in real-time on a county-by-county level in every state.
NFSN is the first influenza tracking service able to identify the existence of flu locally and issue
local advisories.
``This is an important development for public health officials and physicians,' stated Dr. Robert J.
Hudson, NFSN managing director. ``Flu is local, not regional. Flu can strike in one part of a state
and not another. One community can be overwhelmed with flu cases while another community
down the road shows little or no flu activity. The new fluwatch.com shows us with great precision
what communities are experiencing flu and at what level.'
NFSN previously tracked influenza in 50 states and 123 cities. The enhanced version of
www.fluwatch.com encompasses surveillance in all these states and cities, plus 363 separate
regions in the United States.
Users can now go to www.fluwatch.com, click on any state, enter their zip code and immediately
see their resident county and its current influenza status. Users can move from state to state to
receive similar information. The national coverage is helpful to travelers, especially business
travelers, in making preparation when traveling to areas with high prevalence of flu.
Web site traffic to date this year totals more than 767,000 page views, compared to 131,000 total
page views this time last year, Dr. Hudson reported. ``The increased activity validates the
importance of the data to both health officials and consumers. Surveillance is playing an important
role in managing influenza in the United States.'
The Company recently announced its entry into a license agreement with the Weather Channel©
website (www.weather.com), the world's leading source of weather on the Web, for the reporting
of influenza outbreaks across the United States via the weather.com site. The NFSN provides the
content for the Weather Channel flu report.
NFSN issues four influenza advisory status levels and corresponding action steps to lessen the
impact of the flu. An NFSN Influenza Warning means new influenza cases are being diagnosed
daily in high numbers; an NFSN Influenza Alert means flu is detected every other day in moderate
numbers; an NFSN Influenza Watch means flu levels are still low but spreading; and No Activity
means no influenza has been detected in a particular area.
NFSN's 4000 doctors in 850 sites use the technology of the rapid influenza test ZstatFlu(TM) to
detect influenza, giving NFSN access to flu diagnostic numbers in virtual real-time, thus making
NFSN's flu information the most current possible. ZstatFlu detects every known strain of influenza
with 99 percent specificity with a simple throat swab in the doctor's office in just 20 minutes.
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. The Company developed ZstatFlu, the first rapid and most accurate point-of-care test
for influenza A and B. ZstatFlu and the National Flu Surveillance Network are trademarks of
ZymeTx, Inc.
Safe Harbor Statement
This press release includes statements that may constitute ``forward-looking' statements, usually
containing the words ``believe,' ``estimate,' ``project,' ``expect' or similar expressions. These
statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements inherently involve risks and uncertainties that
could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements. Factors that
would cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, continued acceptance
of the Company's products and services in the marketplace, competitive factors, dependence upon
third-party vendors, and other risks detailed in the Company's periodic report filings with the
Securities and Exchange Commission. By making these forward-looking statements, the Company
undertakes no obligation to update these statements for revisions or changes after the date of this
release.
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