State government launches disease surveillance dashboard, mobile app to combat dengue surge 

Team Udayavani, Sep 8, 2023, 7:35 PM IST

In a proactive move to curb the rising dengue cases in Karnataka, with a particular focus on the state capital, Bengaluru, the government inaugurated a state-of-the-art disease surveillance dashboard and mobile application on Friday.

The initiative was officially launched by Karnataka’s Health Minister, Mr. Dinesh Gundu Rao, who presided over the inauguration ceremony held at the ARTPARK office situated within the esteemed Indian Institute of Science (IISc) premises.

The disease surveillance dashboard will serve as a central hub for monitoring and tracking dengue cases and related data. It will provide real-time information to health authorities, allowing them to make informed decisions and allocate resources efficiently. This digital platform promises to enhance the state’s ability to respond swiftly to outbreaks and manage the situation effectively.

The Department of Health and Family Welfare, Govt of Karnataka (DHFW-GoK) and Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) have partnered with the AI and Robotics Technology Park at the Indian Institute of Science (ARTPARK@IISc) to develop predictive analytics and assist policymakers and public health officials in preparing for outbreaks and managing disease control activities, an official statement for state’s Health ministry said.

The disease surveillance dashboard will provide a map of outbreaks across Karnataka at the district and sub-district levels along with case trends across years.

A four-week predictive risk map of outbreaks will also be made available to state and district officers. In addition to predictions, data from multiple sources is being standardised and streamlined for improved analysis.

In order to capture real-time data from on-ground surveys, DHFW-GoK and BBMP will leverage mobile apps. Both the dashboard and mobile app are focused on Dengue, to begin with, and the aim is to expand to additional diseases in the future.

DHFW-GoK and BBMP have been always on the forefront of implementing technology based solutions for disease management, their work during Covid-19 has been a great example for it.

As the world grapples with the multifaceted impact of climate change, the rising burden of Dengue fever is an alarming indication of the public health consequences. In India, which is home to a third of the global Dengue burden, the last few seasons of Dengue have been unprecedented, both in the number of cases and geographic coverage of the disease.

The disease surveillance dashboard is developed for policymakers and public health decision-makers for monitoring at the district and state levels, to provide advisories and enable data-driven policymaking; district health officers, surveillance officers and programme officers for day-to-day management, monitoring, interventions and resource planning.

The mobile application is being developed for Asha workers to streamline survey-related activities (fever survey, larval survey, house-to-house health survey etc.,).

Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao had said on Thursday that 4,427 dengue cases have been detected till date this year in Bengaluru alone, adding that the cases will now be monitored through an app which will be released on Friday.

In Bengaluru, 1,649 dengue cases were reported in July, 1,589 in August, while 416 cases have been reported so far in September. The disease is spreading due to stagnant rainwater, a BBMP official said.

(With inputs from IANS)