Development and Implementation of SMS Disease Surveillance System

in Mukdahan, Thailand and Savannakhet, Lao PDR

Dr. Prapas Weerapol, Mukdahan

MBDS Associate Province Coordinator,
Mukdahan Health Office, Thailand
Rational
- Mudahan - Savarnnakhet is an
important area of Mekong Basin Disease
Surveillance.
- Mukdahan is one of cross border point
be connected to Laos, Vietnam
- Mukdahan - Savarnnakhat have been
developed ICT schema for Bio-
Surviellance
Objectives
1.! To improve the effectiveness in epidemiology report
2.! To build a network of local health officials in using disease surveillance
system to help control the epidemiology locally and internationally.
Implementation process
Public Health Office in Mukdahan province, the ICT for Development Program of
the Thai Health Promotion Foundation and InSTEDD organization has initiated the use
of SMS for disease surveillance system in Mukdahan – Savannakhet, Lao PDR under
the Mekong Basin Disease Surveillance project (MBDS) project.
Implementation Process
1. Build a network of public health officials in Lao PDR and Thailand who will be
using the Geo Chat system.
Group Communication in GeoChat system

when group member send a message Mr.Somsak

i.e. “Field visit at Nong Sung Vill.today”

Everyone in group will get message Mr.Samarn Mr.Samran

“Field visit at Nong Sung Vill.today” “Field visit at Nong

Sung Vill. today”

The message “Field visit at Nong Sung

Vill.today” will be added to group’s
page in Geochat Mr.Somjai Ms.Sumang
The Geochat’s web display

The group’s
messages
The geographical
position in online
mapping
Geochat Training
Report type under SMS disease surveillance system

There are 2 alternatives to send the report including SMS and GeoChat website (http://gechat.instedd.org)
 Didtrict Mukdahan STTR Group Administration
Nikom 07/08/09
CS 15 Didtrict
S
CS Dontan
13
Didtrict S S
S
Muang 23 CS
Members S
S
S

S Didtrict
S Kumchi-e
15

Mukdahan Province CS S
Didtrict
S
Nongsung S
10
CS

S Didtrict
Donglung
S 15
S
CS
Didtrict CS S
Wanyai S
10 S

S
S

Health centers reports cases and
discuss issues with colleagues.
Messages are received by all
members of the district and by the
Head of District .
Head of District sends
announcements and
alerts to health
centers in the district.
PHD sends messages to
Heads of Districts
Head of District sends
announcements and
alerts to health
centers in the district.

Provincial Group

Head of District
sends messages
to the province
level and report
important or
summarized
Operational District cases
Group

Messages can be
sent through SMS ,
Web or Email .

%&#'$"(!&)$&*
!"#$%$&"'($%#&)(&*%+,*-&*%.&',)/0%(,%"%/*,12%
#*&"(&3%4,*%$50%350(*5#(6%7)%($"(%/*,12%$&%#")%
0&)3%8&00"/&0%(,%($&%*&0(%,4%$50%#,''&"/1&0%5)
($&%350(*5#(%")3%(,%($&%!"#$%&'%()*+,)-+
 ILI Case Reporting from Subdistrict

Every Friday…
Head of
subdistrict
health center iLi 3 District SRRT Member
Number of ILI cases
Subdistrict District

5..10 subdistricts…

• Per district: chatroom group (e.g. “muk02”) with

 All heads of subdistrict HC
 District SRRT members

12
 ILI Case Reporting to Province

Every Monday and Thursday…

SRRT Member Muk iLi 34 Ms.Punchawee

Number of ILI cases
District Hospital Mukdahan
Provincial PH Office

7 districts…

• For Mukdahan: chatroom group (“muk”) with

 All heads of District SRRT
 Suyai, Punchawee & Boonchok

13
 H1N1 Suspect Case
After doctor diagnoses H1N1… Muk06 Found suspect case H1N1!
1
SRRT Member
H1N1 suspect warning All subdistricts
Formal Confirmation (paper)
2 + SMS notification
District Hospital

Lab
4
Muk Sending response team to Wanyai 3 Formal Alert SMS (today call)
Notify that response Muk we have suspect Confirmation of H1N1
team will be sent to
Ms.Punchawee
investigate 5

Provincial PH Office

14
 Reportable Diseases
If case comes from same district

When doctor confirms disease…

Notify subdistricts

Muk06 found 2 dengue

SRRT Member fever at xxxx 5..10 subdistricts…

Muk found 2 dengue

District A Hospital fever at wanyai
Ms.Punchawee

Provincial PH Office

15
 Reportable Diseases
If case comes from different district
When doctor confirms disease from district
B… Notify subdistricts
Muk06 found 2 dengue
fever at Wanyai from
SRRT Member Nikom 5..10 subdistricts of Wanyai

Wanyai Hospital Muk found 2 dengue Ms.Punchawee

fever at Wanyai from
Nikom
Provincial PH Office
Muk we are sending
response team to
Nikom tomorrow

Notify that response team will

be sent to investigate
Nikom Hospital
16
17
18
19
The current status of the project
Number of SMS sent categorized by types of report

33%

36%

31%

ILI case and ILI screening reports

Outbreak, disease screening and control notifications
General notifications and invitations
Summary
Members in the network see the necessity and value of the system. Their feedbacks
are as followings:
1. They found that they could spread out health report to everyone in such speedy yet effective method. Diseases
under surveillance that have been found and reported include H1N1 and dengue fever.

2. This cost-effective real-time report system informs the location of where the disease is found. The program and
the structure are user-friendly. And the analysis gives a collective data to Public Health Department officials and
allows them to have a better decision making for disease control.

3. Members in the network receive real-time report and notifications from either top-down or bottom-up levels. The
system has proved to have high satisfaction rate from user members.

4. Members are able to analyze data and then send the report to the public health headquarter as soon as the
disease is found. The system definitely contributes to the increase in effectiveness of disease outbreak control of
the SRRT team.

5. The system help stimulate and facilitate real-time report.

6. Public health executives are able to keep tracked of the outbreak as well as to see the big picture of the
situation.
Suggestions
! 1. Members from the pilot group agreed that the SMS disease surveillance system
should also be implemented in other remote areas not only for health-related report but
also any social security issue such as illegal drug, environment or dangerous areas.
Volunteers from local communities, Local Live Stock Department officials and/or people
with high potential to be infected are to be involved.

! 2. The Thai Health Promotion Foundation and InSTEED are working together to
develop the program to be able to analyze the data using computer programs so that
the report can be submitted to the public health executives as speedy as possible.

! 3. The program should be implemented in other local communities as well as in the

international level.