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| LETTER TO EDITOR |
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| Year : 2023 | Volume
: 14
| Issue : 1 | Page : 77 |
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COVID-19 pandemic infection control and instantaneous contact tracing using mobile phone apps
Rujittika Mungmunpuntipantip1, Viroj Wiwanitkit2
1 Private Academic Consultant, Bangkok, Thailand
2 Dr DY Patil University, Pune, Maharashtra, India; Visiting Professor, Hainan Medical University, Haikou, China
| Date of Submission | 05-Feb-2021 |
| Date of Acceptance | 05-Feb-2021 |
| Date of Web Publication | 22-Jun-2023 |
Correspondence Address:
Rujittika Mungmunpuntipantip
Private Academic Consultant, Bangkok
Thailand
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/ijpvm.ijpvm_38_21
How to cite this article:
Mungmunpuntipantip R, Wiwanitkit V. COVID-19 pandemic infection control and instantaneous contact tracing using mobile phone apps. Int J Prev Med 2023;14:77 |
How to cite this URL:
Mungmunpuntipantip R, Wiwanitkit V. COVID-19 pandemic infection control and instantaneous contact tracing using mobile phone apps. Int J Prev Med [serial online] 2023 [cited 2023 Sep 27];14:77. Available from: https://www.ijpvmjournal.net/text.asp?2023/14/1/77/379414 |
Dear Editor,
COVID-19 is still a global challenge to be managed. This infection has caused worldwide crises resulting in more than 104 million infected persons worldwide. As disease containment depends on several factors, a strict regimen for disease controlling and surveillance is necessary. For controlling the outbreak, case identification is needed. When there is a newly detected case, identification of at-risk persons in contact with the patient is needed and it might be sometimes difficult.
The application of new technology is an important issue to be discussed. Many Internet tools have been developed for tracing the outbreak. For example, a website with updated data on the outbreak will be helpful for local people in avoiding that area.[1] Another important advantage of technology is instantaneous contact tracing using mobile phone apps. The new apps are useful tools for the control of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is used in many settings such as in India and China. Some local areas might implement laws that local people have to upload the applications on their mobile phones. Although this usually becomes an argument in the society, the advantage of apps in monitoring and tracing the history of a patient is confirmed. However, many people in poor countries might not be financially capable of buying smartphones and also the privacy of the user becomes an important ethical consideration upon instantaneous contact tracing using mobile applications.[2] The use of the new applications should be well planned and combined with the classical way of disease control and should not be used as the only approach.
Financial support and sponsorship
Nil.
Conflicts of interest
There are no conflicts of interest.
| References | |  |
| 1. | Mungmunpuntipantip R, Wiwanitkit V. GPS COVID-19 tracker-Applied informatics technology for prevention of disease spreading. Int J Prev Med 2020;11:88.  |
| 2. | Parker MJ, Fraser C, Abeler-Dörner L, Bonsall D. Ethics of instantaneous contact tracing using mobile phone apps in the control of the COVID-19 pandemic. J Med Ethics 2020;46:427-31. |
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