Preventing Pandemics and Containing Disease: A Proposed Symptoms-Based Syndromic Surveillance System

Background: Due to globalization, spread of a pandemic is inevitable as we have seen with COVID-19. Further, increased ease of travel increases the potential and frequency of pandemics. Hence, it is imperative to find solutions to stop the spread of future pandemics at onset. The proposed solution is a self-reported, symptoms-based syndromic surveillance system that is universal, interactive, integrative, and combined with artificial intelligence. Once developed, this framework has the potential to stop any future epidemics and pandemic in urban and rural areas worldwide. Methods: We conducted a thorough literature review of existing short message service (SMS, text messaging) and interactive voice response (IVR, calling) surveillance systems, identified and addressed the shortcomings. We considered artificial intelligence applicability in this paradigm and cost-versus-benefit analysis in a myriad of economies. Results: Utilizing social psychology studies regarding user compliance, high-quality systematic analyses of SMS/IVR-based reporting tools, artificial intelligence prediction models, and a review of data-sharing laws, we have found that many of the previous syndromic surveillance models suffer from data fragmentation, thus hindering their scalability to a global setting. Conclusions: This proposal will allow decision-making officials and healthcare professionals to robustly identify local disease outbreaks, thus thwarting unchecked spread while preventing a breakdown in the supply chain. Since communicable pathogens can cause high morbidity and mortality as well as a negative impact on economies, we call upon today’s high-tech companies as well as governmental bodies to be the impetus for the change that will decrease the multifaceted burdens on our global society.

Creator

• Mulye, Minal
• Abraham, Benjamin M.
• Schmid, Aaron
• Khan, Israt
• Akbar, Samina

Publisher

• American Journal of Biomedical Science & Research

Language

• English

Identifier

• DOI: 10.34297/AJBSR.2022.15.002108

关键词

• SARS-CoV-2
• COVID-19
• Pandemic
• Epidemic
• Syndromic Surveillance
• Prevention

Date created

• 2022

Related URL

• Available from the library catalog:  https://marianunivindianapolis.on.worldcat.org/oclc/9526117477
•  http://dx.doi.org/10.34297/AJBSR.2022.15.002108
• Available from the publisher:  https://biomedgrid.com/fulltext/volume15/preventing-pandemics-and-containing-disease-a-proposed-symptoms-based-syndromic-surveillance-system.002108.php

Resource type

• Article

Source

• American Journal of Biomedical Science & Research (Vol.15, no.3)

Rights statement

• http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/