The Disease Data Management System (DDMS) was designed by industry and research partners to assist malaria and dengue control programmes with data integration and management. As of March 2014, the DDMS has been successfully implemented in 7 countries across Africa and Asia, and continues to expand into new territories and new vector borne diseases, such as Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL).
The adaptation of the DDMS for VL was performed in Bihar, India, which carries the burden of over half the world’s VL cases. The entomological surveillance and quality assurance modules within the DDMS were utilised to monitor and evaluate the indoor residual spray (IRS) programme, which is the cornerstone of VL elimination in the region.
In the coming years, staff from LSTM will support the implementation of the DDMS to capture entomological surveillance data in 7 countries in Africa as part of a programme to enhance entomological surveillance in the African Indoor Residual Spray Project (AIRS), which is funded by the USAID-led Presidents Malaria Initiative.
Every aspect of the DDMS software package has been meticulously designed to enable disease control and elimination programmes to integrate and analyse data to make informed decisions that will ultimately save lives. It is the only one of its kind that combines entomological, clinical and quality assurance data, with an inbuilt GIS capacity, to produce informative reports. The DDMS is completely customisable with secure access, meeting the individual needs of each control programme that adopts the system.
Publications
Thomsen EK, Deb RM, Dunkley S, Coleman M, Foster G, Orlans M, et al. (2016) Enhancing Decision Support for Vector-Borne Disease Control Programs—The Disease Data Management System. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 10(2): e0004342. doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0004342
Eisen, Lars, Coleman, Marlize, Lozano-Fuentes, Saul, McEachen, Nathan, Orlans, Miguel and Coleman, Michael (2011) 'Multi-Disease Data Management System Platform for Vector-Borne Diseases'. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, Vol 5, Issue 3, e1016.
Thomsen, Edward, Deb, Rinki, Dunkley, Sophie, Coleman, Marlize, Foster, Geraldine, Orlans, Miguel and Coleman, Michael (2016) 'Enhancing Decision Support for Vector-Borne Disease Control Programs—The Disease Data Management System'. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, Vol 10, Issue 2, e0004342.
Vontas, John, Mitsakakis, Konstantinos, Zengerle, Roland, Yewhalaw, Delenasaw, Sikaala, Chadwick Haadezu, Etang, Josiane,Fallani, Matteo, Carman, Bill, Müller, Pie, Chouaïbou, Mouhamadou, Coleman, Marlize and Coleman, Michael (2016) 'Automated innovative diagnostic, data management and communication tool, for improving malaria vector control in endemic settings.'. Studies in health technology and informatics, Vol 224, pp. 54-60. Item not available from this repository.
To celebrate the continued expansion and impact of the DDMS, partners involved with its inception have come together to produce a short video. It explores the ideas and design that have become the backbone of its success.