Researchers Use Yelp To Track Foodborne Illnesses

Restaurant review websites could help local public health officials better track and monitor outbreaks of foodborne illnesses, according to a study published in CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. For the study, researchers analyzed about 294,000 food review posts on Yelp that included keywords, such as diarrhea, sick and vomit.

• "How New York Used Yelp To Find Unreported Cases of Food Poisoning" (Phillip, "To Your Health," Washington Post, 5/22).
• "Yelp Reviews Help Track Food Illnesses" (Newman, New York Times, 5/22)