San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) June 23, 2016
In support of its mission to stop the spread of contagious illness, Kinsa (http://www.kinsahealth.com) has announced it will donate its namesake Smart Stick Thermometers to Team USA’s Olympic athletes and their companions traveling to the 2016 Summer Games. Verified Olympians can apply to receive free thermometers here.
ClicktoTweet: .@TeamUSA & entourage traveling to @Olympics for #Rio2016 eligible for free @Kinsa Smart Thermometers #zikasmart. http://tinyurl.com/zm2krxa
Kinsa’s Smart Stick Thermometer and free companion app combine temperature readings with symptom tracking and actionable next steps based on age and key health indicators. The thermometers require no battery and their flexible, lightweight and slim design make them convenient for travel. Furthering its value, Kinsa’s ‘groups’ feature allows for anonymous data sharing. Olympians on location in Rio will have the opportunity to join the Kinsa Olympic Village Group to see which symptoms and illnesses have been reported by others nearby.
In addition to illnesses common to tropical regions, such as Yellow Fever, Dengue and Chikungunya, all transmitted via infected mosquitoes, the concern over Zika is growing, introducing a serious discussion between U.S. Senators and the U.S. Olympic committee around how athletes will be protected at the Summer Games. Others have taken more extreme action; the USA Swimming team relocated their training from Puerto Rico to Atlanta following new reported cases of Zika.
“Zika virus has been relatively unknown to most of the general public until recently; tracking exposure, signs and symptoms will help inform the spread of infection,” says Dr. Beth Seidenberg, partner at KPCB and Kinsa board member. “One of the important actions during a potential pandemic is to track temperature, symptoms over time and location of the infected person. With the Kinsa thermometer this is now possible. That way if you should fall ill, your doctor will have the information he or she needs for diagnosis and early treatment.”
“As an Olympian, I know that staying healthy is paramount, and that collecting data is a key component for ensuring you're in peak condition,” says Raj Bhavsar, Bronze Medalist, 2008 Olympics Men’s Artistic Gymnastics. “With the added concerns of Zika in Rio, I can appreciate what Kinsa is doing to help athletes stay on top of their health. If I were competing in this year’s games, I would encourage those traveling with me to monitor their health as well, bringing us all some peace of mind."
Kinsa’s technology, design and mission are well represented across key features of its Smart Stick Thermometer, including:
- Durable: has a flexible design, is battery free and will never stop working
- Comfortable: the probe is thinner and more flexible than typical thermometers, making it more comfortable
- Agile: can be used with iOS or Android smartphones
- Fast: ten-second accurate temperature readings
- Helpful: Kinsa’s companion app provides guidance and recommendations for what should be done next, based on key health indicators
- Recorded and time-stamped history: easily tracks symptoms, medications and photos as well as stores time-stamped temperature history for multiple family members
- Community-minded: indicates common symptoms currently being experienced nearby
Kinsa’s Smart Thermometer retails for $24.99 and is sold online and in more than 7,000 retail stores, including Target, Best Buy, CVS and the Apple store.
For more information on the company or the #ZikaSmart Olympian campaign, please visit Kinsa at http://www.kinsahealth.com. For media inquiries, please contact Kimberly Angell of Wish Public Relations at kim dot angell at wishpr dot com or (415) 471-7272.
About Kinsa
Kinsa’s smartphone-connected thermometers bring peace of mind to parents and health-conscious consumers by quickly and accurately recording sickness details and providing guidance on what to do next. Kinsa shows common illnesses that are circulating within communities, and is advancing efforts to create a real-time health map that will detect potential epidemics before they spread. Kinsa was awarded the Grand Prize in Medical Innovation by the Cleveland Clinic, and is available in over 7,000 retail locations in the US and Canada. Kinsa was founded in 2012 by Inder Singh, former EVP of The Clinton Foundation’s Health Access Initiative.
