Development and On-Field Deployment of a Mobile-Based Application ‘MoSQuIT’ for Malaria Surveillance in International Border Districts of Northeast India—Challenges and Opportunities

Abstract

The conventional paper-based system for malaria surveillance is time-consuming, difficult to track and resource-intensive. Few digital platforms are in use but wide-scale deployment and acceptability remain to be seen. To address this issue, we created a malaria surveillance mobile app that offers real-time data to stakeholders and establishes a centralised data repository. The MoSQuIT app was designed to collect data from the field and was integrated with a web-based platform for data integration and analysis. The MoSQuIT app was deployed on mobile phones of accredited social health activists (ASHA) working in international border villages in the northeast (NE) Indian states of Assam, Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh for 20 months in a phased manner. This paper shares the challenges and opportunities associated with the use of MoSQuIT for malaria surveillance. MoSQuIT employs the same data entry formats as the NVBDCP’s malaria surveillance programme. Using this app, a total of 8221 fever cases were recorded, which included 1192 (14.5%) cases of P. falciparum malaria, 280 (3.4%) cases of P. vivax malaria and 52 (0.6%) mixed infection cases. Depending on network availability, GPS coordinates of the fever cases were acquired by the app. The present study demonstrated that mobile-phone-based malaria surveillance facilitates the quick transmission of data from the field to decision makers. Geospatial tagging of cases helped with easy visualisation of the case distribution for the identification of malaria-prone areas and potential outbreaks, especially in hilly and remote regions of Northeast India. However, to achieve the full operational potential of the system, operational challenges have to be overcome.

First Report of Rubber Collection Bowls & Plastic and Bamboo Water Containers as the Major Breeding Source of Ae. albopictus with the Indigenous Transmission of Dengue and Chikungunya in Rural Forested Malaria-Endemic Villages of Dhalai District, Tripura, India: The Importance of Molecular Identification

“…We had previously reported JE infections from the area [ 1 ], and during the study period, we also detected several JE mono and mixed infections from the area (unpublished data). This area is known to be highly malaria-endemic, as reported by several studies [ 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 ]. Anopheles vagus and other unidentified larvae of the genus Anopheles were found during this study period, mainly from the ponds (unpublished data).…”

“…The diagnostic test protocol was described in Bhowmick IP et al (2022) [1]. Briefly, venous blood was collected from the febrile patients, centrifugation was carried out at Ambassa PHC to separate the serum, and it was stored at −20 • C. The sera were sent for testing to the Viral Diagnostic Disease Laboratory (VRDL), Agartala and VRDL, Dibrugarh, where viral testing for dengue and chikungunya was conducted by IgM antibody ELISA (NIV IgM Capture ELISA kits) and the dengue NS1 antigen as per the manufacturer's instructions.…”