Predict and Beat Dengue

Predict dengue outbreaks and use this information to protect your communities!

Hi, this is Dr. Dhesi and Rainier Mallol. Together, we want to find an efficient way to control dengue outbreaks using artificial intelligence. We plan to create an app using this approach that will allow us to predict the next dengue outbreak 3 months in advance. With your support, Malaysia will be the first country to enjoy this innovative approach to combat dengue. This app will be the first of its kind and the best part of it is that the app is FREE for all Malaysians to use.

We’ve developed something called AIME (Artificial Intelligence in Medical Epidemiology). It’s a disease-prediction mobile platform that employs technology and data to predict deadly disease outbreaks. We use both machine learning and artificial intelligence in the prediction engine, combined with heavy epidemiological research and public-health best practices to help identify and limit the effects of deadly outbreaks in advance. Yes, in advance. We intend to turn this tool into an app for the first time to be used in Malaysia, and then open it up to other countries that can benefit from it too.

Here are a few facts about dengue.

Did you know that there are 400 million cases reported annually? Malaysia itself is seeing an upward pattern in both dengue cases and deaths. The World Health Organisation (WHO) in 2010 reported that dengue-affected countries spend an average of USD 440 million per year dealing with this menace. They have tried numerous ways to deal with dengue without success, and we believe that using data is the best way.

Our experience with beating dengue thus far.

Our flagship Dengue Outbreak Prediction platform, with over 2 years in development, was the first such project deployed in Malaysia and Brazil. Its implementation was a success, proving capable of predicting outbreaks up to 3 months in advance and locating them up to a 400 meter radius with an accuracy of 88.7% in Malaysia and 84.6% in Rio de Janeiro.

The reason why we are creating an app.

By now, everybody probably knows someone who has suffered from dengue, but where does that data go? We believe that our current reactionary methods in dealing with disease outbreaks are insufficient and costly. That is why we embarked on this mission to create technology that will help us predict and possibly prevent an outbreak. The app will allow you and everybody to input data and improve the accuracy of the next outbreak. If you, your friend or anyone in your family has been affected by dengue, your case can be keyed into the app. This will help the app to locate the next outbreak even more accurately. The more people participate, the better it’ll get – which is why we’re reaching out to the community for support.

What we want to achieve.

First of all, we want to create this innovative app and make it available for free to download. It will also include tips and preventive measures for dengue. We hope that by crowdsourcing data from the community, we will help people to be more aware of dengue. This powerful app will also provide the authorities with critical information about where and when an outbreak is likely to occur. This will help them take necessary action like warning the public and clearing potential breeding sites, which would help prevent the spread of disease and save lives. It could also mean greater healthcare savings for both the government and the public.