DEPED, DOH LAUNCH MONITORING APPS

Parents, guardians and even teachers of students who had been given the Dengvaxia vaccine may now report the youngsters’ condition through two mobile applications designed to help monitor their symptoms and other health problems.

The Department of Education (Dep-Ed) and the Department of Health (DOH) on Monday unveiled the two apps, Abizo and Kaizala, which were customized with tools to monitor students through reports from the users.

The apps will allow the monitoring of the students’ status in real time, Education Undersecretary Alain Pascua said.

“We are introducing this as an alternative way to be faster and more efficient by the use of technology in monitoring,” Pascua said in a press briefing.

Abizo is powered by Galileo Software Services and can be downloaded on Android and iOS, while Kaizala, developed by Microsoft and Indra Philippines, can run on Android and Windows.

While both products were still being tested, parents can already download both apps to register their children. Abizo hosts the Dengue Vaccinee Monitoring Service, which has systems for instant reporting and emergency assistance.

Kaizala users can join the RSVP—the Register, Service, Validate and Plan group— where they can share concerns and queries, as well as receive updates from the DOH and DepEd.

All information culled from the two apps will be placed in just one database, which can be accessed only by officials from the two departments’ central offices.

Pascua noted that the companies had provided the technology at no cost, as the two had answered their call for assistance for the development of the apps.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said the apps were “very, very significant” in monitoring not just the Dengvaxia recipients but other possible illnesses.

“It is a good system to monitor other diseases, like leptospirosis, typhoid and hepatitis,” he said. “It is a very promising tool to complement current DOH efforts to monitor the state of health of our people.”

Pascua noted that the two apps were still being developed and would be fully ready by the end of August.