Tele-epidemiology

Tele-epidemiology is the application of telecommunications to epidemiological research and application, including space-based and internet-based systems. Tele-epidemiology is the application of telecommunications to epidemiological research and application, including space-based and internet-based systems. Tele-epidemiology applies satellite communication systems to investigate or support investigations of infectious disease outbreak, including disease reemergence. In this application, space-based systems (i.e. GIS, GPS, SPOT5) use natural index and in-situ data (i.e. NDVI, Meteosat, Envisat) to assess health risk to human and animal populations. Space-based applications of tele-epidemiology extend to health surveillance and health emergency response. Internet-based applications of tele-epidemiology include sourcing of epidemiological data in generating internet reports and real-time disease mapping. This entails gathering and structuring epidemiological data from news and social media outlets, and mapping or reporting this data for application with research or public health organizations. Examples of such applications include HealthMap and ProMED-mail, two web-based services that map and e-mail global cases of disease outbreak, respectively. The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs often refers generally to telehealth for applications linking communication and information technologies such as telesurgery and telenursing, to healthcare administration. Space-based tele-epidemiological initiatives, using satellites, are able to gather environmental information relevant to tracking disease outbreaks. S2E, a French multidisciplinary consortium on spatial surveillance of epidemics, has used satellites to garner relevant information on vegetation, meteorology and hydrology. This information, in concert with clinical data from humans and animals, can be used to construct predictive mathematical models that may allow for the forecasting of disease outbreaks. Web-based tele-epidemiological services are able to aggregate information from several disparate sources to provide information on disease surveillance and potential disease outbreaks. Both ProMED-mail and Healthmap collect information in several different languages to gather worldwide epidemiological information. These services are both free and allow both health care professionals and laypeople to access reliable disease outbreak information from around the world and in real-time. Space-based methodologies require investment of resources for the collection and management of epidemiological information; as such, these systems may not be affordable or technologically feasible for developing countries that need assistance tracking disease outbreaks. Further, the success of space-based methodologies is predicated on the collection of accurate ground-based data by qualified public health professionals. This may not be possible in developing countries because they lack basic laboratory and epidemiological resources Web-based tele-epidemiological initiatives have a unique set of challenges that are different from those experienced by space-based methodologies. HealthMap, in an effort to provide comprehensive worldwide information, contains information from a variety of sources including eyewitness accounts, online news and validated official reports. As a result, the site necessarily relies upon third party information, the veracity of which they are not liable.