Leveraging Information Technology to Improve Control of Neglected Tropical Diseases

Abstract

When the internet emerged to prominence in the 1990s, websites accessed from computers were mostly static and displayed information that was collected and updated at given points in time. Two decades later, mobile phones and other devices codominate the information technology (IT) space, and websites and other tools are dynamic systems that intensively incorporate instantaneous interaction among people. Individuals now use text messaging on basic mobile phones to negotiate market prices for agricultural products and social networking on advanced smartphones to coordinate mass political protests. We argue that the impact of IT in NTD control will not be fully realized without IT tools designed to enable dynamic human interaction and real-time information exchange. In NTD control efforts, the use of IT primarily relies on computers and focuses on two areas: epidemiology and advocacy (see Table 1). Several webbased atlases and databases display the epidemiology of particular NTDs or subgroups of NTDs, often using global or country-level maps. Multiple websites raise the profile of NTDs by incorporating images, displaying key figures and information, and listing the major organizations involved in NTD control. The major deficiency in this use of IT is the primary focus on static information displays through websites, reminiscent of the 1990s’ IT approach. However, recent innovations in the broader IT community (see Table 2) may reveal IT-based solutions capable of addressing two central challenges in NTD control: service delivery and research.