All the right information on fatal diseases in one place
Disease Info is a progressive web app that collates, verifies and displays data on preventable diseases in Nigeria.
The web app works by scraping data from predefined sources, like the World Health Organization (WHO) Infectious Diseases page, to build a database specifically focused on diseases in Nigeria. The data is then verified and reviewed by the Disease Info team, after which it is displayed using an Angular PWA. The aim of the project is to make correct information on fatal diseases in Nigeria mobile-friendly, readable, accessible and visually attractive.
Lack of information on preventable and curable diseases is one of the major causes of death in Nigeria. For example, Nigeria has been facing a Lassa Fever outbreak and between August 2015 and now, there have been 284 cases and 154 deaths. What actual information is readily available to the public about the disease? Zilch. There are very few user-friendly resources for the public to learn more about the prevention, causes, containment and cure of diseases in Nigeria, like Ebola Facts. It shows that there is a real gap in access to information on very serious epidemics. Disease Info is filling the gap.
Osioke Itseuwa, who manages the project, says data verification is an ongoing process carried out by members of the DevCenter Disease Info Channel. Disease Info is currently at the beta stage with a live version of the API on Heroku.
The Disease Info team has long-term plans to diversify their health data sources, increase the readability of the data using flash cards that contain infographics and images, standardize how the data is verified and to create complete offline access. Right now, they are taking contributions. If you’re interested, you can join the contributor’s channel here.
