SMS-based smartphone application for disease surveillance has doubled completeness and timeliness in a limited-resource setting – evaluation of a 15-week pilot program in Central African Republic (CAR)

El-Khatib, Ziad; Shah, Maya; Zallappa, Samuel N; Nabeth, Pierre; Guerra, José; Manengu, Casimir T; Yao, Michel; Philibert, Aline; Massina, Lazare; Staiger, Claes-Philip; Mbailao, Raphael; Kouli, Jean-Pierre; Mboma, Hippolyte; Duc, Geraldine; Inagbe, Dago; Barry, Alpha Boubaca; Dumont, Thierry; Cavailler, Philippe; Quere, Michel; Willett, Brian; Reaiche, Souheil; de Ribaucourt, Hervé; Reeder, Bruce

Shortly after the onset of the unrest, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) deployed its mission in CAR and in 2015 the MOH and MSF explored how to support the disrupted national disease surveillance system. Due to movement of displaced populations, there was considerable risk of outbreaks of epidemic and vaccine-preventable diseases [13] . To accelerate data transmission and a public health response, MOH and MSF proposed a pilot project using an app reporting system in the district of MK. The main objectives were: 1) to improve the completeness and timeliness of disease surveillance information reaching the district health office, and 2) to evaluate the use of the app to enhance data transmission between the health facilities and the district health office.