Aims & Objectives:

ZIKA is an application which aims to support the rapid collection and surveillance efforts of mosquito-borne arboviruses. The app serves as an efficient system for the digital collection of mosquito surveillance data directly from the field. The application allows for easy registration using an email and password, and creates a rankable profile. The app uses location services and Google Maps to provide the fastest routes to visit properties, and allows agents to showcase completed properties and gain badges.

There are two aspects of the app, 1) the agent’s app, built for smartphones and 2) an interactive dashboard to aid managers. The interactive dashboard is built for PC’s and designed as a web-GIS based decision support system in the automatic allocation of houses to agents for surveying, as well as providing managers maps and charts for the early warning notification of mosquito hotspots in real-time.

Future:

While the platform is currently implemented in two small cities in Brazil, it may be scaled up to be used for future surveillance across larger communities. The backend server, Heroku, and the databases used to support the platform, allows for scalability and increased use.  The system is able to provide critical support for all agents, stakeholders and managers in resource management for treating human dwellings impacted by mosquitoes.

The overarching vision for this system is to have the ZIKA platform be implemented in real-world settings in Brazil where there are high rates of mosquito-borne diseases. This novel surveillance system brings together different sources of data, ranging from epidemiological, entomological, household characteristics and spatial information. This data is then collated seamlessly through the agent’s app into a larger database. This rich information, in turn, will be used by the managers and stakeholders to make current & future predictions in real-time of the potential areas at significant risk of increased mosquito populations.

App Evaluation:

In August/September 2019, a prototype of the ZIKA digital platform was piloted in a 2-month evaluation in Recife and Campina Grande, Brazil. During the pilot, the digital application received excellent feedback and critical appraisal from agents, managers and stakeholders from the Health Ministry through a series of focus groups. The outcome of the evaluation was that the digital platform passed the initial phase.