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Garcia KKS, Rodovalho SR, Siqueira AM. Towards malaria elimination: a reflection about digital notification modules to improve malaria cases notification speed and follow-up in the Brazilian Amazon region. Malar J 2024; 23:162. [PMID: 38783318 PMCID: PMC11119395 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-024-04971-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2024] [Accepted: 05/01/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Health information systems (HIS) are a pivotal element in epidemiological surveillance. In Brazil, malaria persists as a public health challenge, with 99% of its occurrences concentrated in the Amazon region, where cases are reported through the HIS Sivep-Malaria. Recent technological advancements indicate that case notifications can be expedited through more efficient systems with broader coverage. The objective of this study is to analyse opportunities for notification within Sivep-Malaria and explore the implementation of mobile electronic devices and applications to enhance the performance of malaria case notifications and use. METHODS This descriptive study analyses data on malaria-positive cases in the Brazilian Amazon from 2004 to 2022. Malaria Epidemiological Surveillance System (Sivep-Malaria) data were used. The Brazilian Amazon region area is approximately 5 million km2 across nine different states in Brazil. Data entry opportunities were assessed by considering the time difference between the 'date of data entry' and the 'date of notification.' Descriptive statistics, including analyses of means and medians, were conducted across the entire Amazon region, and for indigenous population villages and gold mining areas. RESULTS Between 2004 and 2022, 6,176,878 new malaria cases were recorded in Brazil. The average data entry opportunity throughout the period was 17.9 days, with a median of 8 days. The most frequently occurring value was 1 day, and 99% of all notifications were entered within 138 days, with 75.0% entered within 20 days after notification. The states with the poorest data entry opportunities were Roraima and Tocantins, with averages of 31.3 and 31.0 days, respectively. For indigenous population villages and gold mining areas, the median data entry opportunities were 23 and 15 days, respectively. CONCLUSIONS In malaria elimination, where surveillance is a primary strategy for evaluating each reported case, reducing notification time, enhancing data quality and being able to follow-up cases through computerized reports offer significant benefits for cases investigation. Technological improvements in Sivep-Malaria could yield substantial benefits for malaria control in Brazil, aiding the country in achieving disease elimination and fulfilling the Sustainable Development Goals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Klauss Kleydmann Sabino Garcia
- Center for Tropical Medicine, University of Brasília, Brasília, Brazil
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Brasília, Brasília, Brazil
| | | | - André M Siqueira
- Fiocruz, Instituto Nacional de Infectologia Evandro Chagas, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
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Hassani M, De Haro C, Flores L, Emish M, Kim S, Kelani Z, Ugarte DA, Hightow-Weidman L, Castel A, Li X, Theall KP, Young S. Exploring mobility data for enhancing HIV care engagement in Black/African American and Hispanic/Latinx individuals: a longitudinal observational study protocol. BMJ Open 2023; 13:e079900. [PMID: 38101845 PMCID: PMC10729277 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-079900] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2023] [Accepted: 12/05/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Increasing engagement in HIV care among people living with HIV, especially those from Black/African American and Hispanic/Latinx communities, is an urgent need. Mobility data that measure individuals' movements over time in combination with sociostructural data (eg, crime, census) can potentially identify barriers and facilitators to HIV care engagement and can enhance public health surveillance and inform interventions. METHODS AND ANALYSIS The proposed work is a longitudinal observational cohort study aiming to enrol 400 Black/African American and Hispanic/Latinx individuals living with HIV in areas of the USA with high prevalence rates of HIV. Each participant will be asked to share at least 14 consecutive days of mobility data per month through the study app for 1 year and complete surveys at five time points (baseline, 3, 6, 9 and 12 months). The study app will collect Global Positioning System (GPS) data. These GPS data will be merged with other data sets containing information related to HIV care facilities, other healthcare, business and service locations, and sociostructural data. Machine learning and deep learning models will be used for data analysis to identify contextual predictors of HIV care engagement. The study includes interviews with stakeholders to evaluate the implementation and ethical concerns of using mobility data to increase engagement in HIV care. We seek to study the relationship between mobility patterns and HIV care engagement. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION Ethical approval has been obtained from the Institutional Review Board of the University of California, Irvine (#20205923). Collected data will be deidentified and securely stored. Dissemination of findings will be done through presentations, posters and research papers while collaborating with other research teams.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maryam Hassani
- University of California Irvine, Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences, Irvine, California, USA
| | - Cristina De Haro
- University of California Irvine, Paul Merage School of Business, Irvine, California, USA
| | - Lidia Flores
- University of California Irvine, Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences, Irvine, California, USA
| | - Mohamed Emish
- University of California Irvine, Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences, Irvine, California, USA
| | - Seungjun Kim
- University of California Irvine, Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences, Irvine, California, USA
| | - Zeyad Kelani
- University of California Irvine, Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences, Irvine, California, USA
| | - Dominic Arjuna Ugarte
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of California Irvine, Orange, California, USA
| | | | - Amanda Castel
- Department of Epidemiology, The George Washington University, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
- The George Washington University, Milken Institute of Public Health, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
| | - Xiaoming Li
- University of South Carolina, Arnold School of Public Health, Columbia, South Carolina, USA
| | - Katherine P Theall
- Department of Social, Behavioral, and Population Sciences, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
- Department of Epidemiology, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
| | - Sean Young
- University of California Irvine, Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences, Irvine, California, USA
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of California Irvine, Orange, California, USA
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