CAMBRIDGE, England, June 26 /PRNewswire/ --     Over several weeks in 1854 the British physician John Snow collected data 
on instances of cholera in the Soho area of London - finally tracking down 
the source of the epidemic to a single water pump. If the data analysis and 
mapping tools Google uses today had been available to Snow, he might have 
pinpointed the offending pump within hours. A report by Cambridge UK analysts 
Wireless Healthcare sees Internet search technology as a potential tool for 
disease monitoring and draws attention to links Google has with companies 
developing wireless based disease monitoring and genetic testing services.

The report "Wireless Based Disease Management", which is published this
week, predicts that IT vendors - such as IBM - will attempt to use
centralised supercomputer based applications, hosted by international
disease control centres, to gain a pivotal role in the global healthcare
market. Wireless Healthcare expects smaller medical device manufacturers
to use a different approach, relying on organic growth and patient opt-ins
rather than imposing systems patients have to opt out-of. It also
describes how both large and small IT vendors are gaining access to disease
monitoring technology based on human genome research.

However, the report warns against an over-reliance on genetic profiling
Of patients, noting that face-to-face consultations with a GP often identify
diseases that have a wide range of causes - including some that are
psychosomatic. "If GP consultations are automated and the number of
patients turning to online services for a diagnosis increases, we see a 
growing demand for intelligent technology that can identify psychosomatic
diseases," states Peter Kruger, Analyst with Wireless Healthcare, who goes on 
to say, "This technology could be an extension of the intelligent software
currently used, in beta form, to profile Internet search users."

The report notes that monitoring diseases such as AIDS, influenza and
diabetes will raise issues of patient confidentiality and privacy and
that Google is testing the limits of similar issues with experimental 
services in its 'Playground'. Wireless Healthcare expects patients to trade 
some privacy for the peace of mind that comes with timely diagnosis.

"Wireless Based Disease Management", an independent report produced by
Wireless Healthcare, is available from www.wirelesshealthcare.co.uk.

About Wireless Healthcare

Wireless Healthcare are UK based analysts specialising in the 
application of mobile and wireless technology in the healthcare sector.

www.wirelesshealthcare.co.uk

For further details contact:

    Toby Jackson
    Wireless Healthcare
    +44+(0)1223-208926
    tjackson@steinkrug.co.uk