The number of reported cases of Zika and associated complications is on the rise, yet poor field data remains a barrier to accurate diagnosis and surveillance.
Unmet needs that a Zika surveillance app could address:
- Understanding of high-risk and low-risk geographical areas and patient demographics
- Understanding of patient symptoms that correlate with good/poor clinical endpoints
- Public awareness and education of risk factors for Zika
Initial development will include interviews with end-users (clinicians and health workers) to determine what form-factor would be most useful to them in order to maximize compliance. The app will then be developed and tested using the tools described below:
The interface will be a form that can be filled out by the end-user by laptop or smartphone:
A pilot version will be deployed in an urban setting such as Medellin, Colombia, to determine the effectiveness of the app in reliable data collection.
As pilot data is collected, it will be uploaded to a database. Data will be stored in a table such as the following:
Data analysis methods will be used to correlate patient demographic and symptom info with clinical endpoints, if available. The data will also be used to track the number of cases by region, which could lead to a risk map such as the following to help inform the public and devote more resources to high-risk regions:
The following funding sources will be investigated:
