Application of Mobile Technology in Community Transmission Surveillance for 2020 Corona Virus Disease

Abstract

The corona virus disease (COVID-19) outbreak reached community transmission scenario in Nigeria less than 2 months from its first case on 27^thFebruary 2020; a scenario which requires aggressive and effective contact tracing, identification, monitoring and reporting of disease trend. Surveillance is one of the working strategies in responding to community spread. Currently the COVID-19 community spread response mechanism relies on contact tracing and community testing, requiring a huge testing capacity, and its coverage is bound to be undermined by the lack of accessibility to the typical rural Nigerians. Massive testing is currently threatened by the short supply of test kits reported globally, inadequate trained manpower and limited molecular laboratories and testing centers, which cause delay in sample certification. This paints a picture of a massive unreached population in our communities and a predictable escalation of community transmission due to non- or untimely identification, isolation and management of cases. These gaps could be closed by the application of an appropriate tool that engages remote and real-time functions into the process. This article documents the feasibility of employing the mobile telephone opportunities for community transmission monitoring and case reporting of 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, with crowdsourcing and whistle-blowing effects; as an effective alternative to indefinite single case recording and unidirectional contact tracing.