Santiago: Community leaders will use mobile phones to monitor and anticipate public health outbreaks.

Praia City, July 7 (Inforpress) - A network of 60 community leaders will begin using mobile phones to monitor and anticipate outbreaks and public health crises on the island of Santiago, the president of the National Institute of Public Health (INSP) announced today.

The results of the pilot project known as “Guardians of Health”, coordinated by the INSP, have revealed unprecedented effectiveness in the early detection of risks to humans, animals and the environment, according to Maria da Luz Lima, speaking to the press in the city of Praia.

The comparative study, which took place over two years between the island of Santiago and the Federal District of Brasília (Brazil), received financial and technical support from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, through its rapid response team for health emergencies. The initiative is expected to be implemented nationwide later this year.

The same source explained that, unlike the traditional passive model – which relies on notifications once the patient has already visited a healthcare facility – the new process reverses the flow. Leaders identify problems on the ground using a mobile app.

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