In 2022, the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) launched an AI tool named ‘Health Sentinel’ as part of India’s Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP). This innovative tool has generated over 5,000 real-time alerts about infectious outbreaks, significantly enhancing disease monitoring. By scanning media reports in 13 languages, ‘Health Sentinel’ replaced traditional manual scanning methods, increasing efficiency in identifying unusual health events. This shift from passive to proactive disease surveillance reflects a 150% rise in reported events since its inception.
Moreover, a recent study showed that 96% of health events in 2024 were identified through the AI tool, underscoring its effectiveness. The pilot implementation of event-based surveillance (EBS) in Kerala demonstrated its potential in early outbreak detection by analyzing acute febrile illness cases. Integrating AI into surveillance systems bolsters global health security, stressing the importance of incorporating online data for improved infectious disease detection.
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