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MOBILE PHONES COULD BECOME KEY WEAPON IN WAR ON HIV/AIDS AND AVIAN FLU
GSMA and Voxiva Develop Handset Software to Fight Spread of Pandemics
Singapore, October 17th: The GSM Association (GSMA) and Voxiva, Inc. have joined forces to develop
a mobile phone application that will make it much easier for health authorities and governments to
track and manage the spread of HIV/AIDS, Avian Flu and other diseases.
Health workers in the field can use the mobile phone software to submit critical data to central health
authorities in real-time. Using their handsets, they can report on outbreaks of disease, drug inventory
levels, patient treatment status and other key health information directly in to Voxiva's Health
Management Information Systems (HMIS)*, allowing health officials to view, analyze and respond to
vital data immediately. The system also supports two-way communications, allowing health workers in
the field to receive quicker feedback on laboratory results, treatment guidelines or possible quarantine
requirements.
The GSMA, the global trade association for mobile operators, and Voxiva are running pilot projects
in Rwanda, which has a high incidence of HIV/AIDS, and in Indonesia where Avian Flu is a major
threat.
"The efforts of the international health community to control pandemics, by getting life-saving drugs to
those in need, depend heavily on a comprehensive and accurate picture of what is happening on the ground"
said Rob Conway, CEO and member of the board of the GSMA. "When a disease is spreading rapidly, health
authorities need information that is bang-up-to-date. Mobile networks, which are now widespread in the
developing world, are the best and most immediate way to get them that vital data."
Supported by MTN, Rwanda's largest mobile operator, Voxiva and the GSMA's Development Fund** have
completed testing of the software in the Eastern Province of Rwanda. The tests, conducted in
collaboration with the Rwanda National Institute of Statistics (NISR), used the software to capture
information on health infrastructure normally collected on paper forms. "This technology is revolutionizing
how data is captured in the field," said Dr. Louis Munyakazi, Director General of NISR.
Following on from the success of this pilot, the GSMA and Voxiva are planning to work with MTN and
other operators to roll-out the mobile phone solution across Rwanda and other African countries in
need, such as Nigeria, Tanzania and South Africa.
Written in the Java programming language, so it can run on a wide range of mobile phones and devices,
the software will enable health workers to input information about patients, their symptoms and
medication into their phone, which then transfers the data via a packet based mobile connection
(GPRS) into a central database. If GPRS isn't available, the software can use a SMS data channel
to transmit the information. The health workers will also be able to use the software to order
medicine, send alerts, download treatment guidelines, training materials and other appropriate
information.
"In the developing world cell-phones are more prevalent than fixed line phones with over a million
new subscribers being registered every day," said Paul Meyer, Chairman and President of Voxiva, Inc.
"Leveraging this existing and growing infrastructure, this new technology turns a cell phone in to a
mini-computer, which in combination with Voxiva's HMIS solutions, allows governments in the developing
world to tackle problems in a more efficient and cost-effective way."
A pilot project in Indonesia, which will use the handset software to help track the spread of Avian Flu,
is scheduled to begin in November this year. Supported by the GSMA, Voxiva is working with USAID, Winrock
International, Microsoft and the Indonesian Ministry of Agriculture, to integrate the handset software
into an existing Voxiva surveillance system.
Notes to Editors:
* Voxiva's HMIS is a suite of health solutions that allow health agencies and providers to collect,
analyze and respond to critical information. The suite includes Voxiva HealthwatchTM - a disease
surveillance solution, Voxiva HealthNetTM - a health program
management solution for diseases such as HIV/AIDS, and Voxiva CareNetTM - a patient monitoring solution for managing patients with chronic
conditions.
**For every handset sold under the GSMA's Emerging Market Handset programme, handset supplier Motorola
and the mobile phone operators participating in the programme together contribute 50 cents to the GSMA's
Development Fund.
The GSMA's Development Fund was set up in October 2005 to catalyse the role of mobile technology in
social, economic and environmental development. Working with the mobile industry, the development
community and governments, the Fund seeks to identify innovative ideas for development that are
scalable and sustainable on a global level. By focusing on practical implementation, the Development
Fund and its partners create unique knowledge and experience of the role and potential of mobile
technology in development. For more information please visit:
http://www.gsmworld.com/digitaldivide/developmentfund/index.shtml.
About the GSM Association:
The GSM Association (GSMA) is the global trade association representing 700 GSM mobile phone operators
across 215 countries of the world. In addition, more than 180 manufacturers and suppliers support the
Association's initiatives as key partners.
The primary goals of the GSMA are to ensure mobile phones and wireless services work globally and are
easily accessible, enhancing their value to individual customers and national economies, while creating
new business opportunities for operators and their suppliers. The Association's members serve more than
two billion customers - 82% of the world's mobile phone users.
For further information contact:
David Pringle
GSM Association
Tel: +44 795 755 6069
Email: press@gsm.org
About Voxiva
Voxiva is a leading global provider of practical information solutions to strengthen health care systems,
support emergency response, and improve government service delivery in the emerging markets. Voxiva
solutions leverage the world's 2+ billion mobile phones, as well as fixed-line phones, PCs, PDAs and
other technologies to cast a much broader reach than Internet-only solutions. For more information
please visit www.voxiva.com or contact Grant Elliott at
gelliott@voxiva.net.
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