Epidemiological surveillance using information technologies in Paraguay

This article presents the early work on a project in Paraguay for epidemiological surveillance using information technologies. This project is a response of our university to a governmental request to establish links of cooperation and development between academic public sectors of Spain and Paraguay. The overall project objective is the promotion ofa healthy citizenry through the application of information and communication technologies to the monitoring of populations vulnerable to febrile syndromes (FS). The goal of this project is to create the infrastructure that will allow the population of the country to easily communicate with health centers and provide information on cases of FS. The telephone network will be the main physical support for this communication. The project was formally initiated in January 2009 with the implementation of the prototype system. During the first half of 2010, the pilot project will be implemented in Asunción, Paraguay.