Center for Health Market Innovations (CHMI)

Programs

Surveillance in Post Extreme Emergencies and Disasters (SPEED)

last updated Sep 21, 2012

Overview

Implementing organization: 
Health Emergency Management Staff – Department of Health, World Health Organization – Philippines, Metahelix (Developer)
Legal Status: 
State/government
Year Launched: 
2010
Stage: 
Existing/expansion stage
Income Level of Target Population: 
All income levels

Funding

Primary Source of Funding: 
Donor

Technology

Technology Used: 
Phones › Internet, Phones › SMS/MMS (Text Message)
Technology Purpose: 
Improving Data Management › Data Collection, Improving Data Management › Data Organization/Analysis
Summary: 

SPEED is an early warning disease surveillance system for post-disaster situations launched by the Department of Health and World Health Organization in 2010. The aim of the system is to determine early and potential disease outbreaks and monitor disease trends.

Program goals/rationale: 

The Philippines is located in a region prone to typhoons and earthquakes. Despite the devastating effects of calamities, there is no efficient and fast health information tool in the country that tracks and monitors the casualties and victims of disasters. During the onslaught of strong typhoons in 2009, lack of reliable data and information systems compromised the affected communities in terms of prevention, health reporting and response. The World Health Organization, in collaboration with the Department of Health-HEMS, USAID, AUSAID and the government of Finland created the Surveillance in Post Extreme Emergencies and Disasters or SPEED as a disaster preparedness and response tool.

Key program components: 

SPEED is an early warning disease surveillance system for post-disaster situations. It aims to determine early potential disease outbreaks and monitor trends and priority health conditions. This will contribute greatly in reducing preventable deaths and diseases by enabling timely and appropriate responses by local chief executives and program planners.

Using web-based software which can receive data via SMS, enable validation of data online and automatic generation of necessary charts and graphs, spreadsheets, maps and narrative reports. It makes the transmission of syndromic diseases surveillance information from primary reporting units at the barangay or evacuation center level to all levels of the health system up to the national level in a short period of time.

The SPEED System monitors 21 identified disease entities or health events common in emergencies or disasters. Health workers in the evacuation area fill out SPEED reporting forms during consultation. The information gathered in the reporting form will be entered into the SPEED system using mobile SMS. All the information will be stored in the SPEED server (with GSM modem). The aggregated data can now be viewed by health managers, local chief executives or any person who have access to view the information stored in the modem. They may want to create graphs, spread sheets and maps which may aid them in taking action if they observe abnormal patterns of illness. The system has a built-in capacity to alert officials if certain diseases go beyond the epidemic threshold. The disaggregation of information can be viewed at the evacuation level to the national level. There is also a level of privacy in viewing the information. For example, municipal mayors or municipal officers can only view the health situation of their turf, while the central DOH or any national officials can view the status of the whole country.

SPEED also conducted nationwide trainings and advocacies for local government officials.

Program history: 

SPEED was created in response to Typhoon Ondoy in 2009 (international name Ketsana), the most devastating typhoon to hit Manila which resulted in one of the largest leptospirosis outbreaks in the world. Subsequently, the Global Outbreak Alert Response Network identified the need for an effective monitoring system for early detection of unusual increases in major public health events during emergencies Since 2010, SPEED has been used in a number of disasters, such as Typhoon Quiel (international name Nalgae) and Typhoon Sendong (international name Washi) in 2011. There have been outbreaks of leptospirosis due to Typhoon Sendong, but not of the magnitude as Typhoon Ondoy.

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