The Immuni smartphone application has been developed in Italy with the aim of providing the healthcare community with a convenient way of tracking the spread of the highly contagious coronavirus (also known as MERS) in the Middle East. The project was announced last year by the Italian government and has since been approved by the European Commission, which funds many similar projects in the health sector. The Italian government has therefore chosen the mobile phone application to accelerate the monitoring of 'stage two' of the global response and implement 'phase three' of the response. Known as Immuni, it uses Bluetooth technology to monitor the progress of outbreaks across the Middle East.
The first outbreak of MERS in Egypt occurred last April and was contained within a short period of time. Since then, there have been several outbreaks in other countries, including Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia and the UAE. Each of these countries is experiencing a different outbreak, but the virus has been responsible for severe cases of disease in a number of countries. As the MERS pandemic moves towards other countries, the need for rapid global monitoring becomes even more essential. This is where Immuni comes in. It uses an innovative mobile phone application to enable healthcare professionals to track the progress of the epidemic across the Middle East.
With a mobile phone app, all that a healthcare worker needs to do to track the progress of a Middle East outbreak is log on to the application website, input a name and contact details of the patient and start the process. The software is compatible with the iPhone, BlackBerry, Android phones and Blackberry mobiles and provides the patient with an email address so they can be contacted should a new case come their way. It also includes a map that allows users to zoom in or out depending on what level of detail they want to view. The application also features text and audio alerts that alert the healthcare professional immediately to any suspicious changes in the patient's physical appearance or behaviour. The application also works in conjunction with the NHS to provide patients with advice on which services can be accessed if they require them.