The Wall Street Journal reports: Oakland-based Clorox is among the many companies now tracking tweets that mention flu like symptoms.
Many Twitter users list the city and state where they live making it possible for Clorox to identify areas where outbreaks are occurring.
The company then notifies stores in these areas to make sure they are well stocked with its products, including disinfecting wipes.
This is the second year in a row Clorox has mined Twitter for information.
The company says a similar effort last year helped boost sales.
