DISEASE outbreaks are usually discovered when a governing authority connects the dots on incoming reports by doctors.

Now, Internet search engines may be the tool to pick up hints of emerging health epidemics as early as 30 days ahead of traditional methods.

One of the two men who invented the technology that is the Internet today, Dr Vinton Cerf, told reporters this at a roundtable discussion when he was in town last Friday.

The sprightly 64-year-old American came here to give a talk to National University of Singapore students.

He also met bloggers to talk about what the Internet would be like in the year 2035.

Dr Cerf, a vice-president and chief Internet evangelist of Internet company Google, said that search terms that were rising in popularity would show users' concerns.

"They (users who are ill) feel uncomfortable in bed, and they first go on the Internet to query their symptoms," he said.

They are likely to wait a few days before going to see a doctor.

The doctor may prescribe medication, but would not himself realise that it may be the beginnings of an epidemic until he has seen many cases of the same illness several days later, said Dr Cerf.

However, the search engines may have long ago noted the illness and its related symptoms as "hot" search terms, he explained.

He described how his company's philanthropic arm, Google. org, is working with non-profit organisation Instedd (Innovative Support to Emergencies Diseases and Disasters) to do more tests.

Dr Cerf also made other predictions and observations:

Virtual worlds will become a lot more important with virtual equipment, such as telescopes, connected to real-life ones. This may be useful in education or science, where people can get access to rare or expensive tools.

Countries will need to make multi-lateral agreements about the Internet, to enforce laws and prosecute those who break them, instead of a blanket usage ban. He likened it to how vehicles could be "abused" and may kill people, but "we don't ban the cars, but ban the behaviour".

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