Hallo Shomaila!
How do you use your seed money from Epihealth?
- The EpiHealth seed money supports preparatory analyses aimed at exploring how individual-level syndromic surveillance data can be applied in infectious disease models, particularly during the early stages of a pandemic.
In the ongoing work, I am mapping how many individuals first contact the 1177 helpline and report COVID-19 related symptoms but do not get tested and later appear in hospital records. This analysis also examines the types of symptoms reported before testing or hospitalization. These steps are essential for evaluating the structure and suitability of the data for model development.
How does the money benefit your future research?
- The funding helps me take the first steps in developing and validating new tools for tracking infections and understanding public health interventions. It provides the resources to work with unique data and build methods that will directly strengthen future studies and real-world applications in disease prevention.
What is your research about?
My research focuses on developing epidemiological models that utilize syndromic surveillance data from Sweden’s 1177 health helpline to improve early detection and prediction of infectious diseases. Specifically, it aims to:
- Identify undetected (untested) infections in the population by analyzing individuals who report symptoms but are not tested, yet later appear in hospital.
- Incorporate public health recommendations provided through the 1177 helpline to evaluate their effectiveness in controlling disease transmission.
- Integrate individual-level surveillance and registry data to enhance the accuracy of forecasting models for predicting future hospitalizations and deaths associated with infectious diseases.
- Support evidence-based public health decision-making in Sweden through improved understanding of early symptom reporting, disease progression, and healthcare demand.
