HAYAT TECHNOLOGIES, a prominent provider of AI-powered healthcare solutions, kickstarts a comprehensive study in Laos aimed at assessing the efficacy of its innovative Dengue Prediction System, AI.rbo, in combatting the pervasive threat of dengue fever in the capital city of Vientiane, Laos.
Facilitated by the financial and moral support of the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE), this pioneering project entails a collaborative endeavour between the Hayat Technologies (Hayat) team and Laotian healthcare professionals.
The primary objective is to carefully comprehend the methodologies employed by healthcare experts in managing and preventing dengue outbreaks. Moreover, this joint effort seeks to evaluate the compatibility of their invaluable data for integration into the advanced AI.rbo system.
“Dengue, one of the Neglected Tropical Diseases in the region, has seen increasing morbidity and mortality in Vientiane over the past few years,” says Hayat Technologies’ chief executive officer Dr Helmi Zakariah.
According to statistics released by the Lao Ministry of Health, a total of 7,662 dengue cases were recorded from January until July 3rd of this year. This number is an increase from 6,047 cases in the same period last year.
“This is consistent with the urbanisation that is taking place in the capital with the influx of new money and labours from the neighbouring countries due to the relaxation of Covid-19 restrictions, which is a pattern that is being observed across regions,” adds Dr Helmi.
“Previously, our data encompassed surveillance efforts at the village level, resulting in a broad scope that made it exceedingly challenging to pinpoint specific locations or effectively control the spread of dengue,” says Dr Phonepadith Xangsayarath, director of Laos National Centre for Laboratory and Epidemiology.
The Power of Data in Disease Prediction
Hayat’s flagship product, AI.rbo (AI Console for Arboviral Diseases) is an AI-capable web-based Geographic Information System, equipped not only for ongoing dengue outbreak surveillance and enhanced analytics with insights. It also boasts a predicting capability of informing professionals where and when the next dengue outbreak will take place, as early as four weeks in advance.
AI.rbo automatically searches through more than 90 different databases for numerous variables to obtain weather, geographical, socioeconomic, and historic epidemiological data. Meanwhile, its Remote Data Input Interface will assist in collecting more information such as on other diseases, particular events, and segmented demographics. The number of datasets it extracts data from can also be increased.
Since its conception, AI.rbo’s predictive algorithm has been expanded to encompass other
arboviral diseases like Zika and Chikungunya as well as Covid-19. It has been deployed as pilots or through grants and/or commercial arrangements in countries including Brazil, The Philippines and Hayat’s home country of Malaysia.
“Through our collaboration with Hayat, we endeavour to leverage household-level data to
identify and delineate dengue clusters, enabling us to strategically concentrate our intervention measures in those areas and proactively predict any potential future outbreaks,” says Dr Phonepadith.
“This collaboration will mark a significant milestone in advancing disease prediction and
prevention capabilities in Laos and reaffirm the commitment of Hayat and its partners to make a positive impact on the public,” says Dr Helmi. “I am sure that with AI.rbo, we will be able to find synergy through our work for the socioeconomic development of Laos, an essential partner of Malaysia within the ASEAN+3 economic communities.”
This project was also made possible with the backing of the Malaysian Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, as well as the Malaysian Embassy and the National Centre for Laboratory and Epidemiology (NCLE) in Laos, ensuring the cooperation of expertise in the field of healthcare and epidemiology.
Dr. Helmi Zakariah (left) and Dr Phonepadith Xangsayarath
A More In-Depth Look Into AI.rbo
To ensure AI.rbo’s seamless implementation in Laos, Hayat is conducting a training workshop where healthcare professionals will be equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills to effectively leverage the AI.rbo platform, further enhancing disease prediction capabilities and facilitating proactive measures to mitigate potential outbreaks.
“AI.rbo represents a true innovation that merits our exploration. Drawing upon its demonstrated success in other nations, this technology has the potential to provide valuable insights into the identification of forthcoming clusters. Such information holds immense value and stands as our primary objective for today’s workshop,” says Dr Phonepadith.
During the workshop, participants will have the opportunity to explore the AI.rbo platform in-depth, learn about its functionalities, and gain practical insights on leveraging AI technology to predict and manage diseases effectively. The training workshop will be conducted by Hayat’s team of experts, who possess extensive experience in AI and healthcare.
“We at Hayat are honoured to be part of this groundbreaking collaboration and remains committed to leveraging the power of AI to drive positive change in healthcare outcomes. The training workshop underscores our shared dedication to strengthen disease surveillance capabilities and create a healthier, more resilient community in Laos,” says Dr Helmi.
Dr Phonepadith adds, “Our aspiration for the Vientiane capital is to significantly curtail the number of dengue cases within this calendar year. Subsequently, our aim is to expand our efforts to encompass additional locations in the coming year.”