Dengue Surveillance System by Than Htike Aung

[Than Htike Aung]

Introduction

The School Infectious Disease Early-Warning System (SIDES) is a critical, integrated surveillance platform designed to address the persistent challenge of Dengue Fever outbreaks, particularly among school-age children (5–15 years). Traditional disease reporting is often passive and slow, creating a significant time lag that allows outbreaks to escalate. SIDES solves this by utilizing the school environment—a high-contact population—as a sentinel indicator for broader community transmission. Our strategic objective is to shift public health action from reactive control to proactive intervention, dramatically reducing the time between illness onset and the launch of necessary public health responses.

Data Flow

SIDES employs a hybrid surveillance model that integrates active, syndromic, event-based, and sentinel approaches. The system’s functionality is driven by two core indicators: Student Absenteeism and self-reported Acute Febrile Illness (AFI).

The surveillance process is fully automated and begins with an Event Trigger when a student’s absence from provided RFID cards using UHF RFID Readers. This trigger immediately initiates the Verification & Screening phase via a LINE Chatbot, which prompts parents or guardians to complete a screening questionnaire.

If the symptoms meet the Suspected Case definition (acute fever plus two or more clinical features), the system generates a unique QR code for tracking and refers the student to a clinic. This is followed by the Confirmation phase, where hospital staff use a Mobile App to record final clinical and laboratory results (NS1, IgM, or RT-PCR). The final critical step is Action: a Confirmed Positive Case triggers immediate escalation and automatic notification to Local Health Authorities, enabling them to launch crucial vector control and public health interventions within 24 hours.

Technological Components

The SIDES infrastructure relies on three integrated technological components: UHF RFID Readers for automated attendance, the LINE Chatbot for efficient parental screening, and a Mobile App for fast, reliable laboratory confirmation entry by medical staff. A centralized Web App provides health authorities with a real-time dashboard for decision support.

[Wah Wah Lwin]

Hi Ko Aung!

Thanks for your informative presentation, it’s a great one! I learned good points about the SIDES platform components you mentioned in your slides. Also, the SIDES data flow appears logical and practical for the system.
Just one comment — it would be great to include who the key stakeholders are and what their roles will be within the system.
Regarding the indicators, I noticed that many will be used to evaluate the system. I’m curious to know how these indicators will be collected in order to assess the system’s effectiveness.

[Than Htike Aung]

Hi Ma Wah,

Thanks for the missing point. I arranged the slides and might be left out. So, I will retake the assignment and upload again.

Stakeholders and Responsibilities
School Staffs: Manage attendance, report absences, and promote vector control.
Parents/Guardians: Confirm absences, complete screening via chatbot, and seek medical care when indicated.
Local Health Authorities: Conduct case investigations and provide vector control guidance.
National Health Authorities: Maintain the SIDES platform and integrate data with national monitoring and forecasting system.
Hospitals/Labs: Confirm cases and provide diagnostic data for surveillance.

For the indicators, I didn’t put details in the presentation due to time constraint. We will get those indicators from the following sources:
1. System logs from SIDES
2. Desk review of data from SIDES and paper-based records
3. Interview questions from users.

Thank you.

[Wah Wah Lwin]

Thank you so much for your response, Ko Aung! It’s perfect now.

[Jenny Bituin]

Hi Aung, thank you for your great presentation. I would like to suggest adding an alternative method for confirming absence of students,in case parents do not have access to Line app or are not always connected to the internet.

[Sirithep Pl]

Hi Thun Htike Aung,

Thank you for your wonderful presentation. The SIDES presentation was impressive, demonstrating a creative approach to addressing dengue outbreaks among school-aged children. I liked how the system combines different technologies, such as a LINE Chatbot for symptom screening, and a Mobile App for quick confirmation, to create a smooth, automated flow from early detection to health authority notification. SIDES is a smart, well-designed idea that could make in improving early disease detection and response.

[Author]

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