When the Ebola outbreak was at its height, then-Gov. Martin O’Malley implemented a policy requiring all Marylanders returning from affected West African countries to be monitored for symptoms.
The state kept tabs on travelers through a call center then. As of Wednesday, officials can use a new app from emocha Mobile Health.
The health IT startup’s symptoms monitoring app allows people returning from the country to report their temperatures and any symptoms. If travelers report Ebola-linked symptoms like fever or nausea, health officials are automatically alerted with texts and emails so they can respond.
The app is equipped to comply with CDC guidelines that recommend monitoring twice-a-day for 21 days after returning.
emocha, which is headquartered at Johns Hopkins’ FastForward East, developed the system with the state’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene as well as the Maryland-based medical records integration company Analytical Informatics.
The Ebola Monitoring System is now live, and remains in the process of being integrated with the state’s database of people being monitored. In the future, emocha believes the system can be used for other types of outbreaks.
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