Description

Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) form a group of 21 diseases with diverse, multidimensional natures, affecting low income and rural areas around the world. One of such diseases is Chagas disease, caused by Trypanosoma cruzi parasite, endemic in 21 countries of South and Central America, but present worldwide and currently estimated to affect more than 7 millions of people. Besides data about detection of new cases and transmission routes, coming from official sources (i.e., Ministries of Health or institutions appointed by them), other sources of potentially useful epidemiological information are already in place and can be beneficial for making a clearer and more complete picture about the diseases in the world (e.g., vector research databases, outbreak alert systems, health economics, drug distribution, related research publications). In addition, having am integrated view of the NTD-related data will enable different types of cross analysis, e.g., analysis of coinfections, comorbidity.

The main goal of this project is to build a system for managing the extraction, storage and integrated processing of data coming from a variety of data sources with NTD-related data.

 In particular, the main objectives of the project are:

• Create extraction drivers that can handle different types of data formats coming from the sources (i.e., structured DB, semi-structured Excel files/Web pages, plain text).
• Organize and develop a consolidated database for storing data coming from a variety of different data sources, having in mind the need for flexibility for the further exploitation of this data.
• Develop a system to integrate, transform, and prepare data previously stored in the consolidated database, for further analysis and use (e.g., descriptive and predictive analysis, visualization, download and publications).

Challenges

Many potential data relationships are unknown in advance, data structure and schemas can change and data analysis and data consumption patterns can (and should) evolve. Within this scenario, the data repository architecture base layer will adopt the form of a Data Lake. Over this base layer new layers can be built in a flexible and dynamic manner. Such layers will be aligned with the specific needs elicited from the subsequent advances made in the WHO Programme and therefore they cannot be predicted at this stage. For these reasons, the information Systems developed are meant to be valuable tools both in short and long term.

News

• A large global database to combat Chagas disease (Medical News Today), August 2014
• A large global database to combat Chagas disease (UPC), June 2014
• La contribución de los sistemas de información en el control y eliminación de las enfermedades tropicales desatendidas: el caso Chagas (VII Congreso Universidad y Cooperación al Desarrollo), March 2017
• Creen, amb l’OMS, una plataforma de dades integrada per a les malalties tropicals desateses, October 2019

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