Quelqu'un manipule une tablette avec le dispositif

Alert-Epidemics

Diagnostic tool
The digitalisation of alert systems for more effective epidemiological response.
Quick access
The project

In brief

Alerte-Epidemics is a system for processing and notifying alerts to detect and respond to outbreaks of infectious diseases, including measles, meningitis, cholera, and COVID-19, in fragile settings.

The project was implemented between 2020 and 2024.

Status of the project

  • Problem analysis
  • Development
  • Evaluation
  • Deployment

Identification of the need

Niger regularly faces large-scale epidemics. Its surveillance system, which relies on paper-based methods, and the challenges of circulating information in fragile settings result in significant delays in reporting epidemic alerts. As a result, MSF intervention teams or the Ministry of Health often arrive too late and rarely have a clear picture of the health situation, making it difficult to carry out effective interventions and preventive actions.

However, the early identification of an epidemic enables a faster, more targeted response aimed at limiting disease transmission and, through quicker treatment, reducing mortality.

The MSF Foundation’s response

The MSF Foundation and its partners strengthened existing surveillance systems—community, peripheral, regional, and national—by developing and deploying a digital platform tailored for areas with extremely limited internet connectivity. By guiding users to identify and instantly report alerts of diseases with epidemic potential, the platform increases the number of alerts reported and accelerates their transmission, enabling a faster and more targeted response. Additionally, these reports build a knowledge base that offers a better understanding of epidemiological trends, allowing MSF teams and the Ministry of Health to better plan prevention activities and provide a more effective response.

Video

[Alerte Epidémies] Lutter contre les épidémies de rougeole, méningite et choléra

News

In detail

In addition to the direct effects of the disease, the COVID-19 pandemic could have other severe long-term consequences on the population's health. During this period, many people struggled to access healthcare. In 2020, 23 million children worldwide missed their routine vaccinations, raising concerns about significant epidemic outbreaks, particularly in MSF's intervention areas. In a country like Niger, which was hit by COVID-19 in 2020, in addition to already facing recurrent epidemics of infectious diseases that led to high morbidity and mortality rates, the concern was great. Measles and meningitis are preventable through vaccination, but they can spread extremely quickly when vaccination coverage is insufficient.

It is to address this major challenge that the MSF Foundation, in collaboration with Epicentre, the Ministry of Health of Niger, and Medic Mobile, our technological partner, developed the Alerte-Epidémies program. Now consisting of two applications in Niger, Alerte-Covid19 and Alerte-Niger, it contributes to fighting epidemics by improving the detection and reporting of alerts.

Alerte-Covid19 was the first application implemented in Niger. This app was created by the Foundation in collaboration with Epicentre and Medic Mobile at the request of the Ministry of Public Health of Niger. It played a significant role in stabilizing the health situation in Niger and sparked discussions on adapting the system to tackle other major epidemics in Niger and other countries.

A notification, investigation, and alert validation tool for COVID-19, Alerte-Covid19 was operational throughout Niger. The app guided operators at the Samu Call Center to determine if individuals contacting them showed signs or symptoms of COVID-19 and then reported them via a dedicated platform. It also allowed health agents and focal points at health centers and hospitals to report COVID-19 alerts. This platform centralized all data from the national alert center and regional alert centers. The suspected cases reported through the app were instantly redirected by region and assigned to investigators, who began field investigations to determine the diagnosis. Once the investigation was completed, the investigator submitted their report directly on the platform, allowing health authorities to determine if further actions were needed, such as contact tracing. To date, 97% of the alerts received have been investigated.

[Alerte Epidémies] Bachir Assao, coordinateur épidémiologie à Epicentre du projet Alerte Niger

Alerte Niger is the second application developed by the MSF Foundation in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Health of Niger, Epicentre, and Medic Mobile. This application was initially designed to combat outbreaks of measles, meningitis, and cholera, and was deployed in its pilot phase in 5 health zones in the Maradi region.

Following positive results observed during the pilot phase evaluation, particularly in terms of reducing the response time for epidemic alerts, completeness of reports, and ease of use, it was decided, in agreement with health authorities, to expand the coverage of this tool.

On one hand, all notifiable diseases were integrated into the Alerte-Niger platform, and the tool was improved to be interoperable with the health information system used by the Ministry of Health in Niger (DHIS2).

On the other hand, an agreement was made with the authorities to deploy the tool gradually, starting with all districts in Maradi and Maradounfa. To achieve this, healthcare facility staff were equipped and trained.

However, following the change in government, the Ministry of Health's priorities shifted, and we had to make the decision to close the project at the end of 2024.

What were the main stages of the project ?

timeline Alerte
Who's involved?

Our partners

  • Medic
  • Ministère de la santé publique-  Niger
  • Epicentre Logo

The Team

  • Beatriz Beato-Sirvent
    Beatriz Beato-Sirvent
    Deputy Director The MSF Foundation
  • Dr Robert Nsaibirni
    Dr Robert Nsaibirni
    Head of IT Research
  • Medard
    Medard Djenadem
    Coordinateur Alerte Epicentre
  • Rahana Harouna
    Rahana Harouna
    Epidemiology Supervisor
Discover

our other projects

  • ImageUne3D

    3D Program

    The use of 3D technology makes it possible for the best experts to remotely design upper limb prostheses and compression orthoses using digital impressions of face and neck burns of patients treated by MSF in Jordan, Haiti, and Gaza.

  • UneEN_Reeduc

    Developing rehabiliation care

    Physiotherapy has been part of MSF activities for years, mostly regarding trauma and burns. The MSF Foundation launched in 2017 the 3D printing project and advance practice in rehabilitation for burn faces and upper limb prosthetics. In coordination with ops and medical team in MSF, the MSF Foundation will develop new activities and  support initiatives from the field to better integrate physiotherapy in our offer of care, especially regarding pediatrics, women health and burn rehabilitation.

  • ImageUneAntibiogoGde

    Antibiogo

    Antibiogo is a diagnostic aid medical device that aims to help doctors prescribe the most effective antibiotics to their patients. It is available as a free, open source and offline Android application. It allows non-expert laboratory technicians to measure and interpret antibiograms. It provides accurate results that can also be used for monitoring purposes and updating empirical treatments based on actual etiology.

  • SmsAfyayetu

    SMS AFYA-YETU

    A program designed to enable people living with a chronic disease, particularly those with medical or social vulnerabilities, to quickly identify and report problems that could lead to a lack of follow-up in their treatment or a deterioration of their state of health. 

  • UneAIforCC

    AI4CC

    The MSF Foundation and its partners will conduct -upon ethical board validation of MSF and Malawian authorities- this clinical study in Malawi as part of MSF's program for care of women with cervical cancer at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital and the screening program in Blantyre health centers. 

  • UneDiatropix

    RDTs : Measles and meningitis

    DiaTROPIX is a new platform for the development and production of rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) at the Institut Pasteur in Dakar. This non-profit initiative aims to produce new rapid diagnostic tests that can be made available in countries where access to laboratory diagnosis is low or non-existent. 
    The MSF Foundation is financing and supporting the development by DiaTROPIX of two new RDTs for measles and meningitis. These two diseases with high epidemic potential represent a real public health problem in countries in which MSF conducts medical programmes, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa. 

  • Mini-Lab

    Mini-Lab

    The purpose of the Mini-Lab project is to design and produce a small-scale, autonomous, transportable clinical bacteriology laboratory which is affordable and above all suited to the MSF’s fields of intervention. This concept, developed by MSF with its partners, is also intended to be made available to health care operators in countries with limited resources. The Mini-Lab project hosted by MSF has been able to benefit from other funding mechanisms and the Foundation has been able to redirect its funding to other emerging initiatives.