ICT (information and communications technology) has made great strides in African healthcare in recent years, particularly in the treatment of contagious diseases, but perhaps, treatment is not the accurate word -- not technically, at least. A more fitting term is prevention, because as the adage goes, "prevention is worth a pound of cure." Thus, the improvements in African healthcare are in line with close monitoring of disease progression, formally known as disease surveillance.

Disease Surveillance

In general, disease surveillance refers to the practice of observing a disease to determine its progression patterns. By increasing knowledge about a disease, medical experts have better opportunity to predict its behaviour, stop it from spreading, and minimise the harm it could bring. As a result, outbreaks, epidemics and even pandemics are nipped in the bud before they can even happen.

Disease surveillance is dependent on disease case reporting. Cases, mostly coming from hospitals, were tracked manually in the past, leading to inaccurate and untimely records. Because of the Internet, however, major organisations like the World Health Organisation can now report cases. Records are updated in a few days or hours, and then tracked in real time. The cases are also made public faster than ever before, allowing many people to take the necessary precautions to protect themselves from the disease. With social media at the helm, awareness spreads quickly, rather than disease.

Disease surveillance has also gone global. At any given time, many people are travelling all over the world -- and possibly transmitting diseases as they go along -- so it's important for preventive efforts to be collaborative. Overseas cases reported by other countries are tracked to protect Nigeria from external threats.

The Role of Technology

None of these improvements in Africa's healthcare could be made possible without technology. Hospitals in Nigeria are installed with modern equipment to help medical experts diagnose diseases, identify their origins, and predict their progression. The knowledge gathered from laboratories can be used in managing symptoms, monitoring transmission, coordinating control efforts, creating cures and most importantly, formulating vaccines as a preventive measure. With early diagnosis, diseases become more manageable as infection rates get lower.

Deux Projects Ltd.

Deux Projects Ltd., Nigeria's premier and foremost EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) company, headed by CEO <a
href="http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/person.asp?personId=32694814&amp;privcapId=32509027">Dr
Tunji Olowolafe</a>, has a strong focus on social infrastructure. It provides assets that span across many sectors, including health.

Deux Projects plays a big role in the improvement of the treatment of contagious diseases in Africa. It acts as a supplier of modern equipment to the facilities of Nigerian hospitals, enabling them to have the necessary tools for disease diagnosis and management.

From construction, to the management of facilities, <a
href="http://www.lagosindicatoronline.com/CAPACITY_BUILDING_IN_THE_HEALTH_SECTOR.html">Deux
Projects</a> is present in every step of the process. This is in accordance with the organisation's commitment to health, safety, and the environment (HSE), coupled with its main focus, technology.

[url]Deux Projects[/url] is active throughout the country, so many private hospitals in Nigeria are able to upgrade their facilities, with many more still to follow. Thanks to Deux Project, first class healthcare is made available to the majority of Nigerians at more affordable costs.