EU and African public health agencies are piloting a mobile phone application in Zambia to help community health workers report potential disease threats in real time.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and Africa CDC announced on Thursday they are working with the Zambia National Public Health Institute and software partner HISP SA to refine and test the tool under real-world conditions in Zambia.
The application is being designed for event-based surveillance — a form of monitoring that captures “signals” from communities that could indicate an emerging public health threat — and is intended to make it easier for frontline workers and volunteers to record and share information quickly.
Signals reported by community members are submitted to surveillance officers at district level, who decide whether the information needs verification and a risk assessment.
Field testing in Lusaka
A training and field implementation week was held in Lusaka, where participants carried out practical exercises, gathered signals in communities and used triage procedures while testing the application, the ECDC informed.
Reported information is sent automatically to the national system used by health authorities for follow-up, and community-based volunteers supported the field activities.
The next step is a more comprehensive pilot phase in Zambia, where community healthcare workers will be trained to use the application as part of routine surveillance work.
The work forms part of an Africa CDC — ECDC partnership project focused on strengthening event-based surveillance and epidemic intelligence through digital tools and collaboration.
