PROVIDENCE, R.I.-Rhode Island health officials are using electronic prescription records to track the spread of swine flu.
The data is being provided by Surescripts, which operates the country's largest electronic prescriptions network. It is expected to show which communities are experiencing outbreaks or are hardest hit.
Officials say it can also reveal cases in which the medicine may be inappropriately or overzealously prescribed.
A spokesman for Surescripts says Rhode Island is believed to be the first state to use electronic pharmacy prescription data to track swine flu among its entire population.
President Obama has declared the swine flu outbreak a national emergency. National health authorities say more than 1,000 people have died from the strain known as H1N1, and 46 states have widespread flu activity.
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