Infectieradar

Infectieradar (BE), Infectieradar (NL) and Influweb (IT) are participatory surveillance platforms which monitor the spread of infectious diseases by collecting health information from members of the public. Now, as part of the EpiPose project, these platforms are expanding to capture data on COVID19. This work is being led by Daniela Paolotti and the team at ISI Foundation in collaboration with the University of Hasselt, RIVM and the University of Antwerp.

Infectieradar and Influweb are both part of Influenzanet, a Europe-wide network which monitors the spread of influenza-like illnesses with the help of volunteers. Each week, volunteers are asked to complete a short questionnaire about their current state of health. This enables researchers to detect increases or decreases in COVID19 infections at the earliest opportunity, which is vital in controlling the spread of the virus. Crucially these platforms can catch cases which might otherwise have been missed, as existing research has shown, and alert people to the need to receive medical attention.

Platforms like Infectieradar and Influweb have already proved valuable in tracking changes across other infectious diseases. We are excited about their potential to monitor the evolution of the pandemic quicker than before, thereby curbing the spread and helping stop the virus in its tracks.

If you live in Belgium or Italy and would like to play your part in the fight against COVID19, you can join the project by visiting Infectieradar (Belgium), Infectieradar (Netherlands) or Influweb (Italy). People living in other countries where Influenzanet is active can find links to their own national surveys by visiting the site.

Your involvement is crucial! The more people that sign up, the better the data we will be able to capture and the quicker we’ll be able to respond to the virus.