EbolaTracks: an automated SMS system for monitoring persons potentially exposed to Ebola virus disease
An article from the Euro Surveillance Bulletin
From the results posted in Eurosurveillance: "To date, the system has sent a total of 1,108 messages soliciting symptom information, of which 1,008 (91%) received a return SMS; the remaining 100 outgoing EbolaTracks messages received no reply or were uninterpretable and required telephone follow-up by the Department of Health to confirm that the participants remained well and afebrile. Of the 1,008 responses received, 1,007 replies indicated the individuals were well and afebrile; one participant reported an elevated temperature. At the end of December, this non-HCW who had returned from one of the EVD-affected countries six days prior, replied by SMS with a temperature of 37.7°C. This response generated an alert to the on-call medical officer who subsequently interviewed the traveller. "
| Study Region | Australia |
| Organization | Communicable Disease Control Directorate |
| Issue or Problem | Decreasing the spread of communicable diseases |
| Tech Medium | SMS |
| Technology Device | Mobile phones |
| mFHAST Implication | Opportunity for use of SMS to effectively track and monitor people who have been exposed to virulent diseases |
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Link to original research articleEbolaTracks became operational on 21 November 2014. Twenty-two individuals who have arrived in WA from EVD-affected countries have been enrolled as of 5 January 2015 and 14 of these participants have successfully completed active monitoring (Table). The average age of participants was 46 years (range: 28–68 years; 18 men and 4 women), whereby three returned from Guinea, three from Liberia, and 16 from Sierra Leone.