Abstract
BackgroundEradication of polio requires that the acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) surveillance system is sensitive enough to detect all cases of AFP, and that such cases are promptly reported and investigated by disease surveillance personnel. When individuals, particularly community informants, are unaware of how to properly detect AFP cases or of the appropriate reporting process, they are unable to provide important feedback to the surveillance network within a country.MethodsWe tested a new SMS-based smartphone application (App) that enhances the detection and reporting of AFP cases to improve the quality of AFP surveillance. Nicknamed Auto-Visual AFP Detection and Reporting (AVADAR), the App creates a scenario where the AFP surveillance network is not dependent on a limited number of priority reporting sites. Being installed on the smartphones of multiple health workers (HWs) and community health informants (CHIs) makes the App an integral part of the detection and reporting system.ResultsResults from two phases of tests conducted in Nigeria point to the effectiveness of the App in the surveillance of AFP.ConclusionWe posit that appropriate use of the App can soon bring about a worldwide eradication of poliomyelitis.
Highlights
Eradication of polio requires that the acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) surveillance system is sensitive enough to detect all cases of AFP, and that such cases are promptly reported and investigated by disease surveillance personnel
In Kuje area council, there were 112 participants, while 86 participants took part in the study in Oyun Local Government Area (LGA). In both LGAs, there were more community informants than health workers participating in the study, but an equal number of community informants were selected for both locations
The performance of Health worker (HW) and Community health informant (CHI) in the Auto-Visual AFP Detection and Reporting (AVADAR) surveillance network was measured on two primary indicators: completeness and timeliness
Summary
Eradication of polio requires that the acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) surveillance system is sensitive enough to detect all cases of AFP, and that such cases are promptly reported and investigated by disease surveillance personnel. With the emphasis on polio, many HWs have been inundated with information on its clinical signs and symptoms This heightened awareness of polio may affect their reporting of AFP cases that they feel are linked to other events. A traumatic event such as an intramuscular injection can display weakness or paralysis similar to that caused by the polio virus incubating within the nerve cells. In this case, increased sensitivity for detection of AFP cases would benefit from linking AFP with prior intramuscular injection by asking patients about weakness or paralysis involving injections
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