RVC in East Africa

Photos from the Vetaid Emergency Vaccination Campaign

2012-01-04T10:13:00.001Z

These photos were taken during December 2011 by Vetaid Kenya staff working on the emergency vaccination response to the East African drought.

Response to Drought Appeal

2011-12-22T08:27:00.000Z

The joint RVC Vetaid Kenya Appeal succeeded in raising over £ 12,000 to support the provision of vital veterinary services, in collaboration withgovernment vets, in the Tana River basinin order to keep the remaining livestock stock alive. This has included cattle,camel and goats belonging to displaced pastoralists which, crucially, couldprovide the next generation breeding stock.

Vetaid Kenya has been working primarily in theTana River basin where animals have migrated to in search of grazing. This areahas been fortunate in that it received some late rains meaning that there wassufficient grazing to keep animals migrating into the area from dying ofstarvation. However, the situation is complex as they are still at great riskof disease arising due to the large concentration of stressed animals in arestricted area with diseases that they may not have any endemic immunity to.

The funding raised by the Vetaid appeal throughthe RVC has been used to provide logistical support in the Tana River, includinghiring vehicles and purchasing vaccination equipment to assist an already hardpressed government veterinary team. Working with vaccines provided by the FAO,this initiative has already succeeded in vaccinating 125,000 cattle and 25,000camels against Blackquarter (Clostridium chauvoei)and Anthrax(Bacillus anthracis). In addition,15,000 sheep and goats have been vaccinated against Peste des Petits Ruminants,Contagious Caprine Pleuropneumonia and Goat Pox. All these animals were alsodewormed with broad spectrum anthelmintics to help reduce parasitic stress.

It is recognized that this emergency interventionis only an initial response to a longer term problem. However, even this willhave gone some way to help sustain traditional livelihoods and avoid the needfor even more pastoralists to resort to a life in one of the huge refugee campssuch as Dadaab. This crisis, has served to demonstrate how small organisationssuch as Vetaid can particularly effective in this field through theirflexibility and willingness to work in some of the remote areas of the countrywhere help is most urgently needed. Therefore the campaign will need tocontinue in order to help the pastoralists rebuild their herds and return totheir traditional grazing area.

In response to the longer term preparednessfor future climatic disasters, Vetaid is consulting closely with the Kenyangovernment as well as its Veterinaires sans Frontieres partners asinternational agencies such as the FAO. Dr Gabriel Turasha, Director of VETAID Kenya, has a long term commitmentto enhance pastoralist resilience to futuredroughts through developing fodder banks along Tana River with improvedirrigation and storage systems. In addition he wants to see improved training of pastoralists in sustainable waterconservation methods, better access to animal markets and timely control of endemicdiseases.

Phone tech transforms African business and healthcare - tech - 10 October 2011 - New Scientist

2011-12-12T11:58:00.001Z

Phone tech transforms African business and healthcare - tech - 10 October 2011 - New Scientist

Mobile Learning for Africa - thesis

2011-10-18T10:05:00.000+01:00

Final year Master thesis by Jenni Parker - worth a visit just for the quality of presentation - the text and ideas are good too!

Link to Thesis

Mobiles in Africa video

2011-10-17T18:00:00.000+01:00

Guardian reflection on drought response

2011-10-03T14:50:00.000+01:00

"the crisis had put the spotlight on food insecurity, the need to promote resilience and, especially, the need to invest in agriculture and particularly small farmers, who produce 90% of Africa's food. Mike Wooldridge, the BBC's veteran world affairs correspondent, who has covered past famines, said he could not agree more on the importance of agriculture."

David Peppiatt, head of humanitarian policy at the British Red Cross

Full article

Update on VetAid Kenya progress in the field

2011-09-13T15:25:00.000+01:00

VETAID with support from FAO Kenya has started vaccination in the Tana River District.

Cattle vaccination:
One team of Government and VETAID is currently vaccinating cattle against Black quarter and Anthrax and already 50,000 doses have been delivered to the field.

50 Litres of Baytical for the control of Tsetse flies have also been distributed to the livestock owners.

FMD: There is currently an outbreak of Foot and Mouth disease and samples taken revealed the SAT1 strain. Vaccine is available locally but none has been supplied or procured as of now.

Sheep and goats:
60,000 doses of CCPP and 60,000 doses of sheep and goats pox vaccines have also been delivered and vaccination is ongoing.

Presentation on mobile surveillance at Royal African Society

2011-09-01T22:11:00.002+01:00

Royal African Society presentation 1st september 2011

View more presentations from nshort1.

Google Nairobi agree to support emergency veterinary campaign

2011-08-24T20:19:00.000+01:00

The RVC has been working with Imperial College, Google. VetAid Kenya and the FAO on using mobile phones for disease surveillance in East Africa. Using an open source application, EpiCollect, developed by Imperial College we have been able to accurately map where and when animals have been treated or vaccinated in the most remote areas. This allows accurate monitoring of the coverage of vaccination campaigns and helps in predicting future disease risks.

The current terrible drought in East Africa has not only affected millions of people but it has decimated livestock herds on which the pastoralists depend. In the face of this crisis, VetAid a small Kenyan veterinary NGO, has started to use mobiles in the field as part of their emergency response. This allows them to feed back to the coordinating centre what is happening in the field - this is important information for governments and donor agencies too. Significantly it is also possible for the general public and individual donors to log onto a Google map and see exactly where there funding is being used.

This exciting development is now being assisted by Google Kenya who yesterday offered logistical and training support for the deployment of the application and assistance with visualising data. Google.org have also been helping by encouraging Google staff to donate their old Android handsets which are then donated to vets in Kenya working in the field.

So perhaps something good can come out of all the current suffering in East Africa which will help future generations better prepare and respond to disasters.

FAO Media Centre: Rome emergency meeting rallies to aid Horn of Africa

2011-08-23T17:19:00.001+01:00

The meeting agreed that governments of the six countries hit by the crisis would manage the response to the crisis, informed by the Inter-Agency Standing Committee's (IASC) Horn of Africa Plan of Action.

The meeting stressed that there is still a "window of opportunity" to support affected populations to resume their livelihoods and to enable farmers, fishers and herders to help themselves through these times of crisis within their own communities and emphasised that displacement of populations should be avoided as far as possible.

Specifically, support should be given to pastoralists and agropastoralists, who constitute a dynamic and sustainable livelihood system in the region, the meeting agreed. At the same time, however, it was recognized that the mobility of pastoralists and their livestock within countries and across borders was essential for saving lives and preserving the foundations of food and nutrition security.

FAO Media Centre: Rome emergency meeting rallies to aid Horn of Africa

Photos of drought affected livestock

2011-08-11T22:01:00.001+01:00

These photos were taken in the Tana River area by Vetaid in the last few days. They show some of the cattle that have moved down to this area from the North East of Kenya.

From the pictures it is possible to see that some grazing remains and recent rains mean that there will be food for these starving animals. However, the next risk they will face is diseases arising from the stress of trekking long distances in poor condition and then moving into areas where they have no immunity to the local diseases. This includes TseTse fly transmitted trypanosomiasis which is common in the delta, infectious epidemic diseases such as CBPP (cattle) and CCPP and PPR (small stock) and parasitic diseases such as liver fluke.

Drought in Kenya - Oxfam Report

2011-08-11T21:45:00.000+01:00

VETAID East Africa: Drought Response Appeal; Web Review

2011-08-03T23:26:00.008+01:00

Overview

More than 10 million people in East Africa are facing desperate food shortages following the worst drought in 60 years1
While there have been 28 droughts in the area over the past century, four have struck in the past decade alone, causing significant animal loss2
As of the July 1st 2011 in some parts of Kenya and Ethiopia, at least 60 percent of the herds have perished3
Livestock prices have dropped from Ksh. 6110 in April 2011 to the current Ksh.5000 for a mature bull together with increased migration with over 50-60km covered against the pre-drought distance of 8-12kms4
In some areas of northern Kenya and southern Somalia, rainfall was less than 30 percent of the 1995-2010 average5
‘30 per cent of the 600,000 cows in Garissa County have been swept by drought’ with goats and camels similarly affected, resulting in many of these former livestock owners roaming the streets of North Eastern urban areas.6
Pastoralists in Marsabit keep more than 2 million cows, camels, goats and sheep, worth an estimated $67m
Thomas Bett, district officer for Wajir East, talks of using solar and wind power to draw water for irrigation. "Lots of people have dropped out of pastoralism for good and there is nothing else for them to do in the settlements in the desert,"7
In East Africa in 2008 it was reported that pastoralists occupied 70% of the land in Kenya. Although numerically populations were small 1.5 Million of Kenya’s 30 million population.8

1. http://www.oxfam.org.uk/oxfam_in_action/emergencies/east-africa-drought-2011.html#
2.http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jan/22/kenya-drought-insurance

3 http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?reportid=93142
4.United Nations_SIM_ Press Release _Moyale 8 June 2011_ FINAL
5.http://www.fao.org/fileadmin/templates/horn_africa/docs/HoA_Crisis_FAO_Short-Term_Funding_Needs.pdf
6.http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/InsidePage.php?id=2000040050&cid=4&
7.http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?reportid=93397
8.http://www.smith.edu/anthro/documents/FratkinASR.pdf

Click Here For More Current Analysis and Background Data

Livestock Emergency Guidelines

2011-08-03T13:00:00.002+01:00

3-minute introduction to the Livestock Emergency Guidelines and Standards

VETAID and RVC response to drought in East Africa

2011-08-02T08:36:00.000+01:00

Context : The Regional Disaster

The drought situation in North Eastern Kenya and other marginal agriculture areas is becoming increasingly serious, with the poor 2010 short rains contributing to an acute food and livelihood crisis as early as January 2011. This situation has been further exacerbated by the poor performance of the long rains through April, May, June and July 2011 and, based on the seasonal forecast for August and beyond has now deteriorated into a humanitarian emergency way before the onset of the short rains (expected in October).

The President of Kenya declared the current drought a national disaster in his speech to the nation in late May 2011. This is in the midst of an inflation rate of 14% which is the highest in two years and likely to continue increasing (OCHA, May 2011). Food prices have shot up drastically to unprecedented levels with maize prices rising sharply to 30-60 percent above the 5 year average in the pastoral and agro-pastoral areas.

Most of the people worst affected by the drought are traditionally pastoralists who traditionally rely on keeping livestock for their livelihood. However their animals have also been badly hit by the disaster with starvation, disease and death commonplace. Many of their best breeding animals are dying and so regenerating the herds after the worst of the drought and restoring pastoral livelihoods will be impossible.

In the North Eastern Province, where the drought is most severe, the main coping mechanisms for pastoralists is to move their livestock southwards to the Tana River delta, Galana Ranch and Mwingi District and Tsavo East National Park. To date, over one million head of livestock have moved into the Tana River Country in search of better pastures whilst other herds have moved to the Galana Ranch and Tsavo East National Park.

Conflicts over access to grazing between the pastoral communities from the north and the resident farming communities along the river are on the rise. Livestock diseases such as Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR), Contagious Caprine Pleuropneumonia (CCPP), Mange, Foot and Mouth Disease, and other notifiable diseases may occur, thus depleting further the pastoral assets and constraining their livelihoods. Note: a PPR outbreak has already been reported in Isiolo.

Response to Emergency

Kenya has not seen an emergency of this magnitude before and the Government, NGOs and international agencies (including the UK Department for International Development and the Disaster Emergency Committee) have moved quickly to raise funds to provide food, water and shelter for those worst affected by the disaster. Whilst these short term measures are clearly a crucial initial response to save lives, there is a longer concern about whether people who have moved to the massive emergency refugees camps will ever be able to return to their pastoral livelihoods.

One area that Kenyan and international organisations have been struggling with is how to maintain a breeding nucleus of cattle and goats on an increasingly limited food resource. One response that the government and NGOs such as Oxfam is trying is de-stocking the livestock commercially and through slaughter for food/meat distribution. However, it has always been difficult to convince e pastoralists to give up their animals especially when they are little more than skin and bones with no monetary value.

One option that does offer some hope is to protect livestock herds that have moved into areas with better pastures still persist such as the South East of the country around the Tana River. By providing some grazing and additional forage supplies it may be possible to keep some of these animals alive until the new rains come further North. However, there are many challenges including the risk of disease outbreaks in animals which are already weak and whose immune status is poor and the movement and clustering of animals makes disease transmission more likely. In addition there are endemic diseases such as trypanosomiasis which incoming livestock will have no resistance to.

In order to try and assist the pastoralists who have managed to move their stock south, a number of organisations have set up an emergency veterinary response. One of these, VETAID Kenya, is a local East African NGO which has been working in the region for over 20 years providing veterinary support for pastoralists. As a Kenyan organisation Vetaid has the particular advantage that it is able to mobilise veterinary teams rapidly and deliver effective interventions in the field. It also works closely with the FAO, Ministry of Livestock and other veterinary partners (Veterinaires Sans Frontieres (VSF) - Belgium, VSF-Suisse, and VSF-Germany) to try and protect these herds.

Proposed intervention

VETAID Kenya is already working in the affected areas providing the following support for pastoralists and their livestock:

1. De-worming of stock within the Tana River delta to reduce parasite burdens and minimize nutritional stress

2. Vaccination against PPR, CCPP, sheep and goats pox, enterotoxaemia, Blackquarter, anthrax and CBPP

3. Providing pour-ons to control Tsetse flies and protect against Trypanosomiasis

4. Promoting de-stocking for food by purchasing livestock in good condition, slaughter and distribution of the meat to the communities

The approaches are already providing of benefit to the small number of pastoralists who have been reached. It is proposed to expand these activities to benefit a far larger number of livestock in the coming 6 months.

Further information

Local contact : Dr Gabriel Turhasa, Vetaid Kenya (vetaidtz@gmail.com)

UK contact : Nick Short, RVC, London (nshort@rvc.ac.uk)

Summary report of Kenya mobile workshop

2011-06-21T10:24:00.000+01:00

Use of Mobile Technologies to Support Disease Surveillance, Education and Knowledge Sharing in the Veterinary Sector

Summary Report

Background

This workshop was proposed as a means of bringing together organisations and individuals with an interest in the use of mobile phones and computers in the veterinary sector. The intention was to explore how these new technologies could be deployed in Kenya to support existing approaches to veterinary education and enhance disease surveillance practices. The event was organised by the Royal Veterinary College with support from Vetaid Kenya, the University of Nairobi Veterinary School, Imperial College and the Institute of Education. The FAO provided funding for the event. Further details can be found in Appendix 1 within the original proposal.

Venue

At relatively short notice the venue for day 1 and 2 of the workshop had to be shifted from the Chiromo Campus to the Kabete Campus. Nevertheless due a lot of local support and the goodwill of the University this change was made smoothly. A large meeting room was kindly made available in the Clinical Centre which proved perfect. Lunch and refreshments were provided by the Vet Lab Golf Club.

Unfortunately the internet data access on campus was poor and this restricted some of the mobile demonstrations. Therefore on Day 3 the workshop was relocated to the iHub in Nairobi which is purpose built for technology events and proved ideal for a smaller group of delegates.

Delegates

In total over 70 vets attended the workshop, most of whom attended on both Day 1 and 2. The last day was a hands on event where numbers were restricted to 20 people. A full delegate list is attached as Appendix 2.

Presentations

The presentations on all 3 days were all high quality Powerpoints delivered through a laptop and projected using a mini projectore. Most of the presentations have been published on the project blog site at http://androidsinafrica.blogspot.com/. In addition a number of videos of working groups were made using a Flip camera by delegates and have since been published on You Tube and linked to the blog.

Key Outputs

A number of clear themes became apparent through discussion during the workshop, working groups and after the event. These included the following:

- There are computers and internet access on campus but numbers are limited

- Some students and vets have their own laptop but this is not true for all

- Everybody had a mobile phone but relatively few had a smart phone yet

- About 5 people in the audience already had purchased a new Android phone

- Many delegates expressed an interest in purchasing the new Huwaei Ideos phone

- The concept of e-learning was well received and many people felt they would benefit from using it

- WikiVet was seen to be a great resource for undergraduate teaching

- Whilst Swahili translation was not needed for vets it might be useful for farmers

- Recording podcasts and videocasts for farmers and CAHWS which can be played on a mobile phone

- Many people did not realise that that Open Education Resources were free

- Everybody appreciated the potential of using a mobile in the field for reference

- There was also a lot of interest in using phones for surveillance

- However there was some debate about who would collect data and where it could be stored securely

- The design of good questionnaires was a problem which needs more help

- Several people expressed the possibility of using EpiCollect for research projects

- Delegates wanted more opportunities to try out the phones in the field

- Further exchange visits were encouraged by the delegates

- Agreed to set up an email discussion list after the event to keep people in touch with each other

Recommendations

It has not been possible to collect any systematic feedback as delegates but individual comments and emails have been appreciative. However, based on the feedback from individuals the following recommendations are made by the organisers:

- A follow up training visit is organised later in the year is required to develop more sophisticated data collection forms. These could be developed with EpiCollect to run on Android phones or other applications depending on the exact requirements and local conditions

- More training in developing quality questionnaires in paper format which can then be adapted for use on mobiles

- Start to develop WikiVet content which is directly relevant to Kenyan audience including short YouTube videos

- Organise an exchange visit of Kenyan staff/students to the UK to learn how to develop e-learning and mobile content for WikiVet

Mobile Learning and Social Networks

2011-06-10T18:00:00.002+01:00

Presentation by Dr Niall Winters given on 23rd May 2011 at the Mobile Vet event in Kenya.

Mobile Technologies Workshop - Mobile learning and social networks

View more presentations from niall

Our Blog Goes Mobile!

2011-06-09T17:56:00.000+01:00

Fittingly for a blog about mobile phones, we have just enabled a mobile option on this site. This means that you access any page on this site using a mobile phone, you will get a customised display. Some screenshot examples are provided below:

Use of mobiles in Kenya by livestock farmers

2011-06-09T17:41:00.002+01:00

Community Animal Health Workers and Mobiles - Video

2011-06-09T14:31:00.001+01:00

Note dog barking in the background - just to prove this was filmed at a veterinary school!

Using Mobile Phone to Access Merck Vet Manual in Kenya

2011-06-09T13:54:00.003+01:00

Mobile Workshop Day 3 - iHub

2011-05-25T21:56:00.000+01:00

This was the last day of the 3 day workshop which was intended to give participants time to do some hands on experience. We were very fortunate that Tosh, Jessica and Bernard from the Nairobi iHub let us use their fantastic facilities and fast internet for the day.

In the session, David Aanensen took the group through designing a form, creating a digital version in a web browser using EpiCollect, downloading the form to an Android phone, collecting data using the form, uploading the data to the Google App engine server and viewing and editing the data using a web browser.

Photos of the workshop in the iHub:

Mobile Workshop Day 2

2011-05-24T22:17:00.001+01:00

The Technology Kit!

Two participants using EpiCollect

The Lunch Venue = Vet Lab Golf Club

The Workshop Venue = Small Animal Clinic

Geeks on a Bench

Mobile workshop in Kenya Day 1 : Presentations and Photos

2011-05-23T20:51:00.002+01:00

Wiki Vet Africa 23rd May 2011

E learning

E-learning at the University of Nairobi Vet School

Mobile workshop 23-24th May 2011 - Campus Location

2011-05-17T12:15:00.006+01:00

Workshop update - Switch to new campus!

Please note that the venue has been switched to the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Nairobi at the Upper Kabete campus which is on Kapenguria road off Wayiaki Way, about 14 Km to the Northwest of Nairobi CBD (see location map below). The event will be in the small animal clinic seminar room on campus.

The lunch venue - Vetlab Golf Club

The programme is attached below. Please note that the Monday is focussed on veterinary e-learning both through mobiles and online. The second day is mainly concerned with mobiles use for disease and population mapping and surveillance. There will be a final session on the Wednesday which will be a practical hands on the use off EpiCollect on mobiles - anybody wishing to attend this will need to book a place on Tuesday.

Lunch will be provided at the Veterinary Lab golf club close to the campus on both the Monday and Tuesday.

If possible, please bring your own laptop and android phone for use in the practical hands on sessions. There is no WiFi access on campus so you will need a Safaricom data card to access the internet.

Please contact Nick Short on nshort@rvc.ac.uk or mobile 00 44 7811 405653 if you need further information.

Location Map

View Larger Map

Programme

23rd May 2011 - New Learning Technologies

9.30	Arrival and Registration
10.00	Welcome (Nick Short, Royal Veterinary College)
10.10	Opening address (Professor Prof. Njenga Munene, Dean of Faculty)
10.20	Current application of ICT in Kenya (Dr Omwenga, University of Nairobi)
10.40	Veterinary use of e-learning in the UK (Dr Raymond Macharia, Royal Veterinary College)
11.00	Mobile learning and social networks (Dr Niall Winters, London Knowledge Lab)
11.20	Coffee
12.00	WikiVet in Africa (Nick Short, Royal Veterinary College)
12.20	New opportunities for e-learning at the Nairobi Veterinary School (Dr Mosiany Kisipan)
12.40	Future use of new technologies to enhance Kenyan education (Kenya Institute of Education)
13.00	Lunch
14.00	Hands on workshop to review a range of mobile learning packages and technologies... (Nick Short and Dr Niall Winters)

24th May - Mobile Surveillance

9.30	Arrival and Registration
10.00	Using EpiCollect for mobile surveillance (Dr David Aanensen, Imperial College)
10.20	Field based experience of the mobile surveillance in Kenya (Dr Gabriel Turhasha, Vetaid Kenya)
10.40	Mobile phones for One Health data collection (Eric Beda, SACIDS)
11.00	Integrating mobile systems for surveillance, reporting and information management by Veterinary Services in Kenya (Dr David Ojigo, Department of Veterinary Services)
11.20	Coffee
12.00	Working with mobiles in remote communities (CAHNET and Farm Africa)
12.20	International examples of mobile data collection (FAO Rome)
12.40	Closing remarks and review of workshop outputs (Professor Prof. Njenga Munene, Dean of Faculty)
13.00	Lunch
14.00	Hands on workshop to review a range of mobile surveillance technologies (Dr David Aanensen and Dr Gabriel Turhasha)

Using donated Google phones in Kenya for disease surveillance

2011-05-10T07:59:00.002+01:00

Shows how Android G1 phones donated by Google staff are being used in the field to monitor veterinary disease and vaccination coverage. The project utilises the software EpiCollect developed at Imperial College, London.

This video has been created for use at Google I/O 2011 event.

Video filmed in Kenya and edited at the RVC, London.

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Mobile workshop in Kenya 23-24th May 2011

2011-04-23T11:49:00.001+01:00

Use of Mobile Technologies to Support Disease Surveillance, Education and Knowledge Sharing in the Veterinary Sector
Workshop

Date: 23-24 May 2011
Venue: Chiromo Campus, University of Nairobi Veterinary School, Kenya

Context
Mobile technologies are now increasingly being used across Africa for everything from phone to SMS texting. This is associated with widespread access to affordable mobile networks and handsets. In many cases, this technology has overtaken the use of landline phones, radio and internet for communication in rural communities. Innovative examples of the potential of these mobile devices include the potential to make small SMS payments, receiving text alerts of market prices or receiving medication reminders for TB treatment. The recent development and access to second generation mobile devices offers significant new opportunities for veterinary disease surveillance and prevention in Africa. It also provides new ways for dissemination advice and guidance to farmers and paravets in the field. Finally the two way communication available through tools such as SMS and Twitter provides great opportunities for sharing knowledge.

This workshop will provide the opportunity to review some of the recent developments in the use of mobile devices in Africa and elsewhere in the world. The intention is to bring together technologists, practitioners and policy makers in order to develop new approaches to the use of mobiles particularly in East Africa. The event will also embrace the wider perspectives of one health including the use of mobiles in wildlife, human and animal health.

Contact

To book a place at the workshop, please email Nick Short at nshort@rvc.ac.uk.

Programme

23rd May 2011 - New Learning Technologies

9.30	Arrival and Registration
10.00	Welcome (Nick Short, Royal Veterinary College)
10.10	Opening address (Professor Prof. Njenga Munene, Dean of Faculty)
10.20	Current application of ICT in Kenya (Dr Omwenga, University of Nairobi)
10.40	Veterinary use of e-learning in the UK (Dr Raymond Macharia, Royal Veterinary College)
11.00	Mobile learning and social networks (Dr Niall Winters, London Knowledge Lab)
11.20	Coffee
12.00	WikiVet in Africa (Nick Short, Royal Veterinary College)
12.20	New opportunities for e-learning at the Nairobi Veterinary School (Dr Mosiany Kisipan)
12.40	Future use of new technologies to enhance Kenyan education (Kenya Institute of Education)
13.00	Lunch
14.00	Hands on workshop to review a range of mobile learning packages and technologies... (Nick Short and Dr Niall Winters)
18.00	Evening reception

24th May - Mobile Surveillance

9.30	Arrival and Registration
10.00	Using EpiCollect for mobile surveillance (Dr David Aanensen, Imperial College)
10.20	Field based experience of the mobile surveillance in Kenya (Dr Gabriel Turhasha, Vetaid Kenya)
10.40	Mobile phones for One Health data collection (SACIDS)
11.00	Mobiles in geographical mapping (Geography Dept, University of Nairobi)
11.20	Coffee
12.00	Working with mobiles in remote communities (CAHNET and Farm Africa)
12.20	International examples of mobile data collection (FAO Rome)
12.40	Closing remarks and review of workshop outputs (Professor Prof. Njenga Munene, Dean of Faculty)
13.00	Lunch
14.00	Hands on workshop to review a range of mobile surveillance technologies (Dr David Aanensen and Dr Gabriel Turhasha)

Do you have an old Android phone...

2011-04-23T07:38:00.061+01:00

Our use of the Android platform in East Africa for collecting animal disease data, sharing information and providing access to learning resources has come a long way in the last 3 years. We are now trying to encourage advanced Android users to send us their old handsets for use on our projects in Africa. This post is an attempt to summarise some of the experiences we have had to date and how any donated phones might be of value to our African partners....

How it all started....
Back in 2008 I traveled out to Tanzania with a group of vets to raise funds for the veterinary charity Vetaid by climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. When we got down from the summit, I spent some time with the Masai cattle farmers to learn a little more about the problems they face and how Vetaid has been helping them by training barefoot vets or Community Animal Health Workers. Despite the very basic resources available to these field workers and the tough conditions, one thing that impressed me was that they were already all using basic Nokia phones to text questions about diseases to each other.

Community Animal Health Worker in Siminijaro District, Tanzania 2008

Using ODK in Zanzibar

In 2009 we started working with Vetaid to explore how we might use second generation smart phones to collect disease and vaccination data more effectively in the field. This front line surveillance is an important part of disease control for conditions such as East Coast Fever which kills many thousands of cattle in the area as well as detecting emerging epidemics such as avian flu which can kill people too.

We teamed up with Kevin and Carl, two inspired Android developers from Novoda, who started work (at no cost) on using the Open Data Kit developed by Yaw Aokwa and his team to develop a prototype data collection platform running on old G1 phones donated by colleagues. This was first tested in Zanzibar by a research team of veterinary students working on cattle disease surveillance. They also used the phones effectively to stay in touch using Twitter and did some initial education trials running videos off the Micro SD cards. This pilot was generally considered to be a success but there were some additional software and hardware issues we had not predicted.

Next Steps - the EpiCollect Application

Following on from the Zanzibar experience, we made a number of presentations of our work including to the 2010 Handheld Learning Conference, International Association for Medical Education 2010 and Africa Gathering 2010. Here we established links with a range of colleagues in the mobile sector including Niall Winters from the London Knowledge Lab, Guy Collender from the London International Development Centre and David Aanensen from Imperial College. We arranged a series of UK and Kenya/Tanzania meetings with our colleagues in Vetaid and also the new Google/Rockefeller SACIDS initiative.

At about this time David had launched the EpiCollect application which allowed us to develop a range of GPS linked data forms to capture data on animal disease. This tool proved really popular with our colleagues in the field as they had no problem developing basic forms through a web interface whilst it was also possible to create more sophisticated linked forms when needed. Most importantly the system worked and in field trials working with Vetaid vets, they were able to collect quality vaccination data in the field for analysis by the programme.

Android Handsets
Having developed the software application, the next challenge was to find sufficient handsets to run it on. We did some field usability testing of a range of different handsets ranging from the latest HTC Desire through to the low cost and locally sourced Huwaei and the old G1. The results indicated that the most important features were a physical keyboard, good screen resolution in strong sunlight, reasonable battery life and robustness. With these criteria, the G1 actually came out as the preferred handset despite its age and older design!

At about the same time that we had decided to adopt the G1 as our main handset, I had a call from Fiona Lee of Google who had heard about our work in Kenya from Joanne Stevens in their local Nairobi office. Fiona offered to see if she could help find some second hand G1 phones and put us in touch with Paa Kwesi and Nicola Dixon at Google London. They put the word around the office and quickly came up with over 20 phones which staff donated when they migrated to the Nexus. It was a great day when we were able to bring in some of our African colleagues to collect these phones at Google London (and have lunch too!).

What Next....
I spoke with the Head of Vetaid Kenya, Dr Gabriel Turasha yesterday (sadly Vetaid UK has been disbanded). He said that the donated phones are still in widespread use throughout Kenya. Some are in the hands of front line Community Animal Health Workers monitoring vaccination programmes whilst other are on loan to government vets who are involved with the FAO on a large scale disease programme. One of the great strengths of their use is that Gabriel can check the Google Map data for each phone to confirm where it is and how often it is being used. Interestingly most of the users have opted to insert their own SIM cards into the phone and cover the cost of data access themselves for the benefit of using a smartphone.

We would now like to progress further with the project by providing phones with a Micro SD pre-installed knowledge base derived from our own WikiVet project (translated by students into Swahili). These phones will also have EpiCollect forms and Google Chat running and configured. Through our distribution channels we can be confident that phones collected in the UK will reach Kenya where we can then use our local expertise to unlock and configure them before distribution.

So we would really like to encourage anyone who has an old working G1 which they no longer need to consider sending it to us. We will aim to acknowledge every phone received and also will try and provide a GPS fix on where it ends up in Africa and what it is being used for. So if you can help, please send your phone to :

Nick Short
Head of e-media Unit
Royal Veterinary College
Royal College Street
LONDON NW1 0AT
United Kingdom

Home page : http://www.rvc.ac.uk/staff/nshort.cfm
Email : nshort@rvc.ac.uk

If you are interested in knowing more, please consider attending our two day workshop in Nairobi on the 23 and 24th May 2011

New Facebook Page Created

2011-04-23T07:00:00.001+01:00

Delivering video by mobile phone to classrooms in Tanzania | eLearning Africa News Portal

2011-04-20T17:51:00.000+01:00

Delivering video by mobile phone to classrooms in Tanzania | eLearning Africa News Portal

Workshop : Use of Mobile Technologies to support Disease Surveillance, Education and Knowledge Sharing in the Veterinary Sector

2011-04-14T16:59:00.002+01:00

Date: 23-24 May 2011

Venue: Chiromo Campus, University of Nairobi Veterinary School, Kenya

Mobile technologies are now increasingly being used across Africa for everything from phone to SMS texting. This is associated with widespread access to affordable mobile networks and handsets. In many cases, this technology has overtaken the use of landline phones, radio and internet for communication in rural communities. Innovative examples of the potential of these mobile devices include the potential to make small SMS payments, receiving text alerts of market prices or receiving medication reminders for TB treatment. The recent development and access to second generation mobile devices offers significant new opportunities for veterinary disease surveillance and prevention in Africa. It also provides new ways for dissemination advice and guidance to farmers and paravets in the field. Finally the two way communication available through tools such as SMS and Twitter provides great opportunities for sharing knowledge.

This workshop will provide the opportunity to review some of the recent developments in the use of mobile devices in Africa and elsewhere in the world. The intention is to bring together technologists, practitioners and policy makers in order to develop new approaches to the use of mobiles particularly in East Africa. The event will also embrace the wider perspectives of one health including the use of mobiles in wildlife, human and animal health.

More information

Huwaei IDEOS goes on sale in Kenya for under £100

2011-01-26T08:13:00.000Z

Huwaei have recent released their IDEOS Android phone in Kenya through Safaricom. This is one of the first phones running Android froyo available at this incredible price. This is likely to be the start of things to come and will ensure that smarthphones become the lingua franca in East Africa in the future.

You can read more about the launch here (unreliable web site). Note the fact that the number of internet users in Kenya has more than double to 7.5 million in just one year - this says something!!

Field Testing EpiCollect in Tanzania

2010-12-05T19:45:00.002Z

Field testing Androids

View more presentations from Nick Short.

Bloomsbury Media Cloud goes live!

2010-11-25T12:10:00.002Z

A joint Bloomsbury initiative to create a "Cloud" based media resource funded by JISC.

Example videos:

Samsung Galaxy Tablet

2010-11-07T08:47:00.000Z

We have just purchased the Samsung Galaxy Tablet which has just come out in the UK. The device is a clear competitor for the Apple iPad but has the clear advantage for mobile surveillance of a SIM card slot allowing mobile data and voice calls. So far we have been pretty impressed by the quality and functionality of the device. It also seems a good platform for our mobile learning resources. More later ...

There is good comparison of the Galaxy and the iPad available here:

Tanzanian collaboration

2010-11-01T06:15:00.001Z

Dr Esron Karimuribo and Mr Eric Beda from the SACIDS project on a visit from Tanzania. They met with colleagues at the RVC, Imperial College, IoE, Open Air Radio, Wellcome Trust and the LIDC to discuss the use of mobiles for surveillance and m-learning. They have now been using EpiCollect for the last 6 months successfully in the field.

2010-09-09T08:45:00.000+01:00

Check out these videos of the new Indian Android tablet - I came across these on the excellent blog by Geoff Stead of Tribal.

Presentation on mobile technology at AMEE 2010

2010-09-04T13:08:00.001+01:00

Using smartphones to support veterinary projects in East Africa

Background
Recent developments in smartphones and the Android operating system provide a powerful new mobile platform. In Africa, this has the potential to transform access to information and enhance sharing of knowledge in the most remote areas.

Summary of work
An initial pilot project adapted the Google Open Data Kit running on G1 mobile phones to collect cattle disease data in Zanzibar. The devices were also used to communicate through voice, blogs, text, email and twitter. Subsequently a larger project is testing the use of this system to deliver educational video, wikis and text to rural users.

Summary of results
Initial results indicate that smartphones are seen as an easier way of collecting, accessing and sharing information in the field.

Conclusions
There are many opportunities to use smartphones in the developing world to support health services

Take-home message
The open source Android operating system and more affordable handsets has the potential to transform mobile learning.

Press release on Android phones use in Kenya for vaccination surveillance

2010-08-06T15:35:00.000+01:00

Maasai Vets Carry Out Disease Surveillance of 86,000 Animals With Google Mobile Phones

05 August 2010

Mobile phones enable vets to upload information about diseases and vaccinations (shown by the coloured markers) to a project website. Credit: EpiCollect

Maasai vets in East Africa are using mobile phones to monitor diseases including anthrax and rabies as part of a partnership involving London-based academics. The Google mobile phones are helping to record how diseases are spreading in order to bolster preventative action, including vaccination campaigns. The new project in rural Kenya is led by the charityVetaid and is backed by Google UK, which has donated 23 G1 Android devices to the surveillance effort. Data relating to more than 86,000 animals from 1,600 farms has already been logged via the mobile phones in the last month.

Deadly diseases, versatile phonesThe vets and community animal health workers are using the phones in the Kajiado district, central Kenya. The project relies upon the software EpiCollect - a mobile data collection tool which has been loaded onto the devices and was created by researchers from Imperial College London. EpiCollect allows the vets to upload their findings to a central website which plots where diseases are occurring. A wide range of diseases are being monitored: the deadly cattle disease East Coast Fever; anthrax and rabies, which affect both animals and humans; Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR), which affects sheep and goats; and foot and mouth disease – a potentially fatal disease affecting cattle, sheep, goats and pigs. The phones have also been loaded with a range of educational resources, including photos and videos, for veterinary fieldworkers.

Veterinary perspectives

Dr Gabriel Turasha, a Maasai vet and the regional coordinator for Vetaid in East Africa, is leading the surveillance teams. He said: “The mobile phones are really improving real time access to information. You can send a message to report an outbreak. There is better communication and their role in today’s society is very crucial.” His colleague Dr Ezra Saitoti, a Maasai vet working in Kenya for Vetaid, added: “I am very optimistic that we can contain further spread of these diseases. If you can pinpoint the location of the problem, and we are able to do that with the phones, you will be able to come up with a proper solution.” Nick Short, a founder of Vetaid and Head of eMedia at theRoyal Veterinary College, added: “Mobile phones are now commonplace in Africa and their use for disease monitoring and control can provide enormous benefits to animal and human health in the future."

Software developer's perspective

Dr David Aanensen one of the researchers behind EpiCollect from Imperial College London, said: “We’re really excited that our software is being put to such good use in East Africa. We hope our tool will help the vets and farmers get a much clearer picture of the diseases that are affecting their animals. Ultimately, this should make it easier for them to treat these diseases – either directly or through vaccination - and to target resources where they are most needed.”

The disease monitoring mobile phone project is a collaboration between Vetaid, the Royal Veterinary College, Imperial College London, the Institute of Education and LIDC.

EpiCollect goes Live!

2010-06-21T18:25:00.005+01:00

The EpiCollect platform developed by David Aanensen and his team at Imperial College has just been launched. An Android based version is available for download from the Android market. There is also an iPhone version which can be downloaded from the iTunes site.

EpiCollect.net provides a web application for the generation of forms and freely hosted project websites (using Google's AppEngine) for many kinds of mobile data collection projects.

Data can be collected using multiple mobile phones running either the Android Operating system or the iPhone (using the EpiCollect mobile app) and all data can be synchronized from the phones and viewed centrally (using Google Maps) via the Project website or directly on the phones.

Find out more about how you can use this application from the www.epicollect.net web site.

Innovatons in mobile phone applicatons for health and educaton in East Africa

2010-05-07T12:16:00.001+01:00

Niall Winters 1, Nick Short 2, David Aanensen 3 and Andrew Hagner 2

1 London Knowledge Lab, 2 Royal Veterinary College, 3 Imperial College

Full presentation

Africa has the world's highest mobile phone growth rate and as such this technology has great potential for supporting human development (Winters and Toyama, 2009).However, determining how to support African mobile users in their own socio-cultural contexts remains under-researched.

In this paper, we present our on-going research in East Africa in the areas of veterinary health and education. We focus on how mobile phone interventions can support current practice and can lead to new ones. The communities we work with are veterinarians and veterinary assistants based in rural settings in Zanzibar and Northern Tanzania.

The first stage of the project was to determine the role new “smartphone” applications could play in animal health surveillance. We thus undertook a 3-week field trial in Unguja using Google’s Open Data Kit (ODK) running on the Android platform. Veterinary staff from the Department of Livestock Development and students from the RVC Undergraduate Research Team collected data on the physical examination of cattle. Findings suggest that the ODK was preferred to pen-and paper based collection, primarily because of time saved when transferring the data to a spreadsheet.

In parallel with this work, we investigated how social software can be integrated into in-situ everyday veterinary practice. In particular, we found that Twitter and Google Chat were primarily used to support in-field communication and logistics between veterinary teams. At a secondary level, the lightweight nature of the communication enabled close co-ordination between students in the field and faculty based in the UK. As an extension of the above, we are working on the participatory development of mobile data collection platform for developing regions based on EpiCollect (Aanensen et al., 2009) and are developing associated training initiatives for practitioners using the software, building on the work of Mor and Winters (2008).

The final, and most recent research challenge we are investigating are the ways in which mobile technologies can support sharing and reflection upon practice. Our aim is to co-design and develop a sustainable open knowledge exchange network, termed OpenKXnet, where practitioners can discuss and share information about infectious disease detection, identification, and management (DIM) practices entirely using their mobile phones. Veterinarians and vet assistants will develop their own open educational resources (OERs), recorded in the Swahili and we will evaluate how they are used to learn about the DIM of infectious diseases.

References

Aanensen DM, Huntley DM, Feil EJ, al-Own F, Spratt BG, 2009 EpiCollect: Linking Smartphones to Web Applications for Epidemiology, Ecology and Community Data Collection. PLoS ONE 4(9): e6968. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0006968
Mor, Y. and Winters, N. (2008). Participatory design in open education: a workshop model for developing a pattern language. Journal of Interactive Media in Education. http://jime.open.ac.uk/2008/13/
Winters, N. and Toyama, K. (2009) Human-Computer Interaction for Development: Mapping the Terrain, Information Technology and International Development, 5(4), iii-viii. http://itidjournal.org/itid/article/view/419/187

Podcast on veterinary use of mobile phones in pastoral communities

2010-04-30T12:06:00.003+01:00

Dr Ezra Saitoti and Dr Paul Chacha, both from the charity Vetaid, Dr Musiany Kisipan, University of Nairobi, and Bev Panto, Royal Veterinary College address the challenges affecting livestock within pastoralist communities, explain an exciting project to monitor disease by using mobile phones, and discuss online learning. Recorded at the London International Development Centre for Development Matters.

Link to Podcast
Link to LIDC Development Matters
Link to Vetaid

Android phone comaprisons

2010-04-30T08:28:00.003+01:00

Review of Nexus 1 and Desire phones running Android from Slashgear.com

Comparison of Google Nexus 1 and Apple 3G iPhone

Photos from the visit of African vets

2010-03-31T20:38:00.003+01:00

Visitors tour the RVC with Bev Panto

Collecting mobile phones at Google

At Imperial College programming the Google phones

Recording a podcast at the Open Air studio

On the farm!

2010-03-24T19:15:00.001Z

Visit by East African vets to UK

2010-03-21T11:42:00.003Z

The RVC is hosting a visit by three veterinary colleagues from Tanzania and Kenya. Dr Paul Chacha works with Vetaid in Tanzania, Dr Saitoti Kotonto from Vetaid in Kenya and Dr Mosiany Kisipan.

Paul, Saitoti and Kispian at the RVC Hawkshead

As part of their visit, they are testing the use of the EpiCollect platform for animal disease surveillance in East Africa. Using G1 Android phones donated by Google (see earlier post) they have started mapping their travels around London on a Google Map.

Meeting with Alison Edelshain from LCH who funded the visit of the African vets

Google UK donates second hand mobiles to Vetaid

2010-03-19T18:27:00.003Z

Google staff in the UK have started to donate their G1 Android phones as they upgrade to the lastest Nexus phone. Today 23 of these were kindly donated to the Androids for Africa project for use by Vetaid in Kenya. They will be loaded with the EpiCollect application and a range of educational media for use by veterinary fieldworkers to monitor vaccination campaigns and provide access to veterinary educational resources.

Guy Collender (LIDC), Bev Panto (RVC), Niall (IoE) and David Aanensen (Imperial College)

at Google prior to collecting the G1 phones

New UK Government funding for Media Cloud

2010-02-18T15:49:00.001Z

The Bloomsbury Colleges led by the RVC has just received funding from the UK Government to develop a "media cloud" with a specific focus on international development. The 15-month initiative involves six internationally renowned institutions within the University of London (Birkbeck, Institute of Education, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Royal Veterinary College, School of Oriental and African Studies, and The School of Pharmacy). It is being undertaken in collaboration with the London International Development Centre – an academic organisation which brings together social and natural scientists to facilitate interdisciplinary research and training.

The project is funded by £87,709 from JISC - a UK Government body which develops partnerships to enable the

education and research communities to engage in national and global collaborations. Innovative internet-based approaches are central to the project, including the storage of digital resources in ‘the cloud’ – a virtual space online.

Material generated by the project will include:

Programmes on key international development topics, including:

o Access to medicines

o Animal and human health (including bird flu and swine flu)

o Climate change

o Future of the Millennium Development Goals

o Water resources

Specially commissioned programmes to coincide with major events in the international development calendar, including:

o International Women’s Day, 8 March

o World Tuberculosis Day, 24 March

o Peace one day, 21 September

o World AIDS Day, 1 December

Short presentations profiling the international development expertise and training offered by the Bloomsbury Colleges within various categories, including:

o Health and health promotion

o Food production and security

o Environment and biodiversity

o Rural development

o Water and sanitation

o Education

o Sustainable development

The intention is to make these cloud hosted resources available through an open portal. They will then be accessible to students anywhere in the world. Of particular significance to this blog though is the plan to tailor some of these resources for use on mobile phones in the developing world. Revisit this blog regularly for more details....

Drought in Naroosara, Kenya

2010-01-19T15:05:00.004Z

Guardian blog on mobiles in Africa

2010-01-19T09:47:00.001Z

Are mobile phones Africa's silver bullet?

Whether it's checking market prices of crops, transferring money or simply making a call, mobile phones are transforming Africa. But could this new technology end up bypassing the poorest?

Link to blog

Images from Tanzania

2010-01-19T00:02:00.003Z

Return from Tanzania

2010-01-18T16:55:00.001Z

We have just returned from a week in Tanzania to discuss the use of mobile phones for animal and human disease surveillance. The first part of the visit involved a workshop organised by the Southern African Centre for Infectious Disease Surveillance in Arusha. This was followed by meetings and field visits with Vetaid in the Ngorongoro Crater Area.

Vetaid project in Siminjaro, Tanzania

This work has been funded by the Rockefeller Foundation and includes the development of disease surveillance tools running on Android based mobile phones and the creation of educational content which can be accessed on the phone itself.

Delegates at the Arusha Conference

This work is being carried out in partnership with Imperial College, the London Knowledge Lab, the London International Development Centre and the RVC e-Media Unit.

Educational veterinary videos on the mobile

2010-01-05T17:55:00.002Z

We have been working on creating a range of veterinary educational videos in Swahilli. Here is an early example:

New PhD studentship in Mobile Learning

2009-12-22T10:24:00.001Z

Mobile Learning for Development: Participatory Design of an Open Mobile Knowledge Exchange Network for the Detection, Identification and Monitoring of Infectious Disease

Mobile phones increasingly play a key role in learning. Their potential is perhaps greatest in Africa, where the mobile phone rather than the desktop computer is the dominant technology. The field of Information and Communication Technologies for Development seeks to leverage this growth, focusing on user-generated content and open educational resources (OERs).

However, while studies have investigated how motivated experts in the 'developed world' use mobile phones for learning, determining how to support African mobile learners in their own socio-cultural contexts is a significant challenge that remains under-researched.

The project will co-design and co-develop a sustainable open knowledge exchange network (OpenKXnet) with veterinarians in East Africa. Using mobile phones, vets will create, discuss and share information about infectious disease detection, identification and management (DIM) practices.

A major part of the project is to iteratively design OpenKXnet to support knowledge construction through collaboration, supporting vets in developing their own OERs based on analysis of data collected on DIM. Evaluation will focus on how OpenKXnet is appropriated by vets and on determining the factors for sustainable implementation.

Applications are invited for a Bloomsbury Colleges funded PhD Studentship to be jointly supervised between the Institute of Education (IoE) and the Royal Veterinary College (RVC). This interdisciplinary project will provide the successful applicant with experience in development education, technology enhanced learning, participatory design and disease detection, identification and management techniques.

More information about this studentship

Development Education Initiative

2009-11-29T23:59:00.000Z

The RVC e-Media Unit has been collaborating with a number of partners in East Africa including the University of Nairobi Veterinary School, the Southern African Centre for Infectious Disease Surveillance in Tanzania and the NGO Vetaid. This initiative draws upon these existing partnerships in order to strengthen North – South linkages and help to raise awareness amongst veterinary students in both the UK and Kenya of international issues of mutual concern. The importance of this approach was highlighted by the OIE at a major conference in October 2009 entitled evolving veterinary education for a safer world.

The RVC is a partner in the 3 year DFID funded “Students as Global Citizens” project led by the Development Education Research Centre in the Institute of Education. It has recently secured funding from DFID’s Development Awareness Fund to develop and evaluate methods to embed development education principles within degree courses on pharmacy, veterinary science, and human health. The initiative described here is part of this approach which is intended to introduce a series of scenario based directed learning sessions into the Year 2 veterinary curriculum.

The project aims to enhance the appreciation of international development by exploring and contrasting issues related to livestock and health in both East Africa and the UK. This is intended to assist RVC and Kenyan veterinary students identify with their counterparts and emphasize the common professional interests and values that exist. This will be achieved through a number of steps described below which integrate some of the latest technologies such as videocasting with more traditional students exchanges.

• An initial exploratory visit by RVC recent graduate to Kenya and Tanzania in November 2009. The UK vet will work with a recent veterinary graduate from the Nairobi veterinary school to develop links with the veterinary school and Vetaid;
• In particular they will work with Vetaid vets, community animal health workers and students to record and publish a series of audio and videocasts describing issues of local and national relevance;
• Adaption of video material collected in the field to create a series of 6 directed learning sessions for the RVC Development Awareness session for second year veterinary students in 2010, drawing parallels and comparisons between veterinary practice in the UK and in the developing world;
• To provide recording equipment, training and support for Kenyan vets to record, edit and publish their own podcasts and videocasts on topics of local relevance. As part of this initiative, a Kenyan veterinary graduate will make a two week visit to the Royal Veterinary College in London, in order to develop their technical skills and record videocasts of relevant livestock health issues in the UK;
• To establish a protocol for future student educational exchanges including the potential for RVC students to undertake either preclinical or clinical Extra Mural Studies placements with Vetaid and other partners in East Africa.

The first stage of the project involve a 4 week visit by a recent RVC graduate, Beverley Panto to East Africa. You can follow her progress through her own blog at : http://www.africabev.blogspot.com/

Mobile Disease Surveillance Project

2009-11-18T17:31:00.000Z

Mobile technologies are now increasingly being used across Africa for everything from phone to SMS texting. This is associated with widespread access to affordable mobile networks and handsets. In many cases, this technology has overtaken the use of landline phones, radio and internet for communication in rural communities. Innovative examples of the potential of these mobile devices include the potential to make small SMS payments, receiving text alerts of market prices or receiving medication reminders for TB treatment. Nevertheless, their use in disease surveillance is limited.

In general there are three types of mobile technology applications to disease alerts and surveillance. The first relies on either telephoning or sending of SMS messages by field operatives to a central unit. This is particularly useful for disease alerts to observations made in the field or primary health care centre. They are not particularly useful for surveillance as such messages are often not recorded in standard and verifiable formats. The second category combines the use of a digital pen to record observations on specially designed paper form and then transmitting such information via either a mobile telephone or laptop to central database on a server. This is being tested for animal health surveillance in several SADC countries including Namibia, Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia and Tanzania. The third and emerging system is one that uses the Google-Android Open source Data Kit (ODK) mobile telephones to generate forms and transmit information to a database on a server. The second and third systems have the advantage of collecting data that can be verified and analysed by an expert at a distance. Field data can be geo-referenced and depending on the quality of the mobile telephone they can be accompanied by photographed images.

The recent development and access to second generation mobile devices, such as the ODK system, offers significant new opportunities for disease surveillance and prevention. The handsets now have accurate geo spatial sensing, which enables accurate tracking of location and linking to text, image and data. The potential to insert memory cards means that the devices can temporarily capture data off line where a network is poor. This additional memory means that the handsets can be populated with appropriate disease extensions and support material in video, audio and textual format which the operator can refer to in the field.

There are already Open Source tools available for the Android platform which can be relatively simply be engineered to enable disease data collection. Data entry can be done using a pen device, a keypad or touch screen and GPS settings are captured automatically. This data can then be transmitted through a GPRS or low bandwidth network to a central server where it can be analysed, mapped and modelled almost immediately after the data has been collected. The field worker can then be referred to information on the handset memory in the local language for example with advice on suitable biosecurity measure to adopt.

Thus the mobile technologies are serving to overcome the constraints of poor physical infrastructure in Africa and Asia by real-time transmission of clinical observations at the point of disease outbreak (be it in communities, health facilities, on farm or in wildlife) to experts at district, provincial or national headquarters and the feed back (i.e. response) from such expertise to the point of outbreak, also in near real-time. It is a technical empowerment of the primary health (human or animal) responders, who in Africa are invariably sub-professional or even auxiliary cadres. This is a clear example of technology that is fit for the purpose.

Mobiles in Zanzibar

2009-09-21T23:45:00.000+01:00

The RVC Undergraduate Research Team has just returned from their project on East Coast Fever in the cattle of Zanzibar. This project also served as a pilot for the use of Google Android Platform devices for the collection of field data via the Google Open Data Kit. The project was a big success as over 400 animals were sampled from all parts of the main island.

The devices were also a huge hit with the team who found them very easy to use for both collecting physical exam data and updating Twitter, Facebook, and the team blog. The project hopes to provide answers to the Zanzibar Government about which vaccine strains to use as well as helping this exciting new mobile technology through its growing pains.

Handheld Learning Conference

2009-09-20T23:38:00.000+01:00

Nick Short and Andrew Hagner gave this presentation at the Handheld Learning 2009 conference in October 2009. They described how in Tanzania, the Royal Veterinary College has been working with aid projects and government services to explore the potential of mobile devices. By using the GPS geo-spatial functionality of the newer smart phones it is now possible to accurately track the spread of diseases such as avian flu. Working with the Google Android platform, the team have now developed a set of phone based forms which can capture and transmit key disease data to a central server.

Useful Mobile Links

2009-05-29T23:55:00.000+01:00

The following links provide some useful pointers to what is going on in the world of mobiles, health and Africa.

Android Forms - ODK is a suite of tools to help organizations collect, aggregate and visualize data

Google Earth - Track the spread of the H5N1 virus worldwide since 2003 with this award-winning animated Google Earth Mash-Up.

mHealth for Development - Looks at the opportunities provided by mobile technology for healthcare in the developing world

Wild Knowledge - Allows you to create and share interactive forms, keys, maps or images for use on handheld devices.

Open Mobile Consortium - Collaboratively developing interoperable open source mobile solutions for social development.

Frontline SMS - A free, large scale text messaging solution for NGOs

Hope Phones - Old phones save lives...

Appropriate and Practical Mobile Technologies

2009-05-25T23:51:00.000+01:00

We are now working to take the APT project into a new context through partnerships in Africa. The idea is that the basis step by step model for implementing appropriate technology also has a relevance to projects in less developed countries. We re therefore looking to coolaborate woith communiuty based projects to explore the use of mobile phones running Android, Google forms and podcasting.

Our first initiative aims to explore the opportunities provided by mobile technologies to enhance animal disease surveillance, reporting and feedback in Africa. It will draw on the extensive experience of its partners working in the field, university based research and development expertise and the insight and experience provided by Google and other technology providers.

Development Model

The APT for Africa initiative builds on the JISC funded EMERGE programme and the Users and Innovation Development Model. This model has been adapted by the Bloomsbury Colleges to help create and implement a step based introduction to Appropriate and Practical Technology. This has been used to introduce a range of Google tools into teaching and research with significant success (www.bloomsbury.ac.uk/apt ). The intention is now to extend this approach to enable collaboration with partners in livestock and wider development arena .

Partners

The following partners are associated with this initiative:

London International Development Centre – coordinates the development activities of all 6 Bloomsbury Colleges
Souther African Centre for Disease Surveillance – has a remit to promote One Health including animal disease surveillance
Bloomsbury Learning Environment – experience of working with the UIDM model in collaboration with Google
London Knowledge Lab – extensive R and D experience in the use of mobile technologies
Vetaid – an animal health NGO with extensive experience in East Africa
Google.org – provided support for SACIDS and the use of mobile technologies in the field
JISC – government agency which provides support for the UIDM
Novoda – Android software developer

Application

Using the UIDM methodology, the partners will work with key stakeholders in animal health to identify appropriate and practical mobile innovations. In particular this could focus on the following areas:

Use of mobile phone devices to capture GPS based disease data by field staff for surveillance purposes
Disease, population, environment and vaccination monitoring using mobile devices
Decision, practical and professional support for front line staff from central offices
Access to location/context sensitive disease/treatment information in text/audio/video format
Local language based resources to support extension, education and advisory services
Developing new mobile communities of practice to share experience and support
Providing cross disciplinary services as part of the One Health agenda

These approaches will be trialled in a number of settings including:

Zanzibar – RVC student research project on East Coast Fever monitoring working with London Knowledge Lab
Arusha – Vetaid project with Community Animal Health Workers on disease surveillance
SACIDS – government veterinary surveillance programmes funded by Google and Rockefeller
Nairobi Veterinary School - educational programs on ECF working with British Council

Africa Gathering presentation

2009-04-24T23:57:00.000+01:00

Presentation we made to Africa Gathering on 25th April 2009 about mobile telephony in Africa.