Real Time Integrated Disease Surveillance System for Hurricane- affected regions of Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi

The US Department of Health and Human Services has declared a public health emergency in the hurricane-affected region of Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi.  "We are gravely concerned about the potential for cholera, typhoid, dehydrating diseases," said HHS Secretary Michael Leavitt.  According to Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff "We're racing the clock in terms of illness."

A lynchpin of an effective control of disease outbreaks is timely information.  Without information about which diseases are appearing where, public health officials are unable to direct an effective response.  Given the devastation in the area, public health officials cannot rely on computer-based information systems to collect and analyze health information.

Collaborating with state health officials, Humanitarian Aid International Consulting (HAIC) and Voxiva© propose to implement and donate HealthWatch©, a mobile phone and handheld-based disease surveillance system to support disease control efforts. 

With the HealthWatch© system, mobile health workers can submit disease report data from any phone or from a handheld device.  Data is collected in a centralized database and visible by local, state and federal officials over the Internet.  Case reports are mapped in real-time and health authorities can analyze the cases reported.  Health officials can use HealthWatch to send out email, SMS text and voicemail messages to coordinate response more effectively.  With such a system in place, health authorities can have a real-time picture of the public health situation and have an effective tool for collaborating with a mobile field staff in a structured and systematic way.

Humanitarian Aid International Consulting (HAIC) is a 501(c)3 organization that provides services to a disaster stricken area to ensure that the critical medical infrastructure is in place to respond to, recover from, and mitigate the effects of a manmade or natural disaster.  This organization is born out of the need to provide immediate response and intermediate recovery services to healthcare infrastructure damaged as a result of a disaster. In addition, HAIC provides public health emergency response, and consultation as well as a disease and syndromic surveillance system.

Voxiva is a technology company focused on delivering phone and Internet solutions to health, governmental and humanitarian agencies. Voxiva has deployed integrated disease surveillance systems all over the word.  Voxiva’s customers include the Washington, DC Department of Health; San Diego County Department of Health; US Navy; Peruvian Ministry of Health; Rwanda Ministry of Health; Nigerian Ministry of Health; Indian Ministry of Health; Iraqi Ministry of Health; US Food and Drug Administration; US Department of Defense Vaccine Program; Centers for Disease Control.