Ogun boosts epidemic preparedness as group donates surveillance devices

Ogun State’s capacity to detect and respond to disease outbreaks has received a boost following the donation of mobile surveillance devices by the Artificial Intelligence Application for One Health, AIA4OneHealth, project.

The devices were donated on Tuesday, to support the Integrated Disease Surveillance, IDS-Master system in collaboration with the Ogun State Ministry of Health.

Receiving the equipment on behalf of the state government, the Director of Public Health, Dr Oluyomi Bamiselu, said the intervention would enhance early detection and tracking of infectious diseases at the grassroots.

The mobile phones were distributed to Disease Surveillance and Notification Officers, DSNOs, across all 20 local government areas of the state to enable real-time reporting of health threats.

Speaking at the presentation, the Principal Investigator of AIA4OneHealth, Professor Adesina Sodiya, said the project was aimed at integrating artificial intelligence and digital technology into epidemic preparedness.

Sodiya stressed the need for sustainable funding and institutional support to maintain the platform and expand its infrastructure.

He announced that the project would institute a monthly reward system for best-performing LGAs to encourage accurate and timely reporting.

At the event, Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government was recognized as the best-performing LGA for recording the highest volume of quality reports.

The donation is expected to strengthen community-level surveillance and ensure rapid, data-driven response to public health emergencies in the state.