LSTM, together with its partners in the development of The Disease Data Management System, the Innovative Vector Control Consortium (IVCC) and software company TerraFrame, have produced a short video to celebrate its continued success.
The Disease Data Management System (DDMS) was designed by industry and research partners to initially 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, including 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 designed to enable disease control and elimination programmes to integrate 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.
Dr Mike Coleman, who is leading DDMS at LSTM, said: “We are really pleased with the video, it explores the ideas and design that have become the backbone of the success of DDMS. We are looking forward to the further expansion of the system and working with new countries on control programmes for diseases affecting a huge number of people across Africa, Asia and beyond.”
If you would like to learn more about the DDMS or arrange a demo of the system please send your enquiry to ddms@lstmed.ac.uk