article · The American Journal of Applied Sciences
Digital surveillance tools, primarily the Surveillance Outbreak Response Management and Analysis System (SORMAS), have enhanced outbreak response and case tracking for Lassa fever across several Nigerian states. Evidence shows that electronic case-based reporting enables real-time case tracking, geographical mapping of disease burden, and faster notifications. Documented improvements include a rise in contact-tracing completeness from 45% to 85% in Ebonyi State and a five-day reduction in response time in Cross River State using real-time alerts. Despite these surveillance gains, high case fatality rates persist, ranging between 24% and 73.3%, demonstrating that enhanced information tracking does not automatically reduce mortality. Operational obstacles remain widespread, notably unreliable power, inadequate internet connectivity, digital literacy deficits, equipment shortages, and parallel paper reporting. Effective outbreak control therefore requires digital platforms to integrate with broader clinical, laboratory, and infrastructural capacity.
Lassa fever recurrently threatens public health in Nigeria. Understanding how digital surveillance performs helps health authorities allocate resources effectively during epidemics. The findings show that while digital systems speed up case notification and contact tracing, technology must be backed by reliable electrical infrastructure, well-equipped laboratories, and clinical resources to effectively save patients and curb disease transmission.
The evaluated tools, specifically the SORMAS platform, represent deployed, real-world systems currently utilised by public health agencies and disease surveillance officers across multiple Nigerian states. Commercial developers and technology providers can target operational bottlenecks by developing low-power hardware, offline-capable data synchronisation tools, and interoperable digital reporting modules. However, successful adoption depends on integration with public sector outbreak response systems rather than standalone commercial rollouts.
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Background Lassa fever remains a persistent public health threat in Nigeria, where recurrent outbreaks place considerable demands on surveillance, laboratory services and outbreak-response capacity. Timely identification of suspected cases is particularly important because delayed notification and laboratory confirmation can impede case management, contact follow-up and infection prevention. Digital surveillance has increasingly been incorporated into Nigeria's response, with the Surveillance Outbreak Response Management and Analysis System (SORMAS) supporting electronic case-based reporting and real-time outbreak monitoring. Evidence on how these digital capabilities have contributed specifically to Lassa fever surveillance, however, remains dispersed across state-level investigations and implementation studies. Methods A focused scoping review was undertaken to synthesise evidence on digital technologies used for Lassa fever surveillance and outbreak response in Nigeria. The evidence base was identified from literature published between 2015 and 2026 and searched through PubMed, ScienceDirect, SpringerLink, BMJ Global Health and Google Scholar. Eligible evidence was restricted to studies reporting digital surveillance applications or outcomes directly relevant to Lassa fever in Nigeria. Data were synthesised narratively because of heterogeneity in study designs, settings and reported outcomes. The synthesis examined electronic case-based surveillance, reporting and notification, contact tracing, real-time outbreak monitoring and implementation constraints. Results SORMAS was the dominant digital platform identified for Lassa fever surveillance. Evidence was reported from several Nigerian states, including Benue, Kaduna, Anambra, Ebonyi and Cross River. Digital case-based surveillance supported real-time tracking of suspected and confirmed cases and enabled geographical identification of areas with concentrated disease burden. Reported state-level case fatality rates varied substantially, from 24% in Ebonyi to 73.3% in Kaduna, indicating that improved surveillance capability coexisted with considerable mortality. Digital surveillance was also associated with improvements in specific response processes. In Ebonyi, contact-tracing completeness increased from 45% to 85%, while evidence from Cross River reported a five-day reduction in response time following the introduction of real-time alerts. Persistent constraints included unreliable electricity, poor internet connectivity, limited digital literacy, shortages of digital equipment and continued dependence on parallel paper and electronic reporting. Conclusion Digital surveillance has strengthened important operational components of Lassa fever surveillance and outbreak response in Nigeria, particularly case-based reporting, real-time monitoring, contact tracing and rapid transmission of surveillance information. The evidence also shows that stronger surveillance does not necessarily translate into low mortality where clinical, laboratory, infrastructural and workforce limitations persist. Digital platforms should therefore be positioned as components of an integrated outbreak-response system rather than stand-alone solutions. Sustained infrastructure, workforce capability, interoperability and long-term financing remain necessary to convert improvements in surveillance intelligence into stronger Lassa fever control.
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DOI: 10.37547/tajas/volume08issue08-04
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