title: Introducing a model for communicable diseases surveillance: cell phone surveillance (CPS).
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Surveillance systems for communicable diseases are primarily passive in most countries, including Iran. Laboratory-based surveillance and use of cell phone surveillance may be a useful method.
  
  
  METHODS
  We established a new model for gathering data directly from district laboratories to regional laboratories and from them to national manager of public health laboratories by using cell phone. We assessed the coverage of Mobile and Cell phone in the laboratory Technicians, and Directors of Public Health in 27 universities in Iran by a simple data collection form to evaluate the feasibility of this method. And then this method was piloted for the last Cholera outbreak in Iran in 2005.
  
  
  RESULTS
  From data of 27 universities with 184 cities, we gathered 769 data health directors' mobile, total mobile penetrating rate, SMS users, and SMS penetrating rate was 57.9%, 77.1%, and 44.6% between Directors in Medical Universities of Iran and 54.5%, 54.9% and 29.9% in Directors of Laboratory. In the Cholera epidemic in Iran in summer 2005, CDC of MOH registered near 900 cases of cholera from 70000 rectal soap's exam in whole of country. The median reporting interval was under one day.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although the advent of the cell phone will probably change the way in which surveillance is delivered by health system, further studies are warranted to evaluate this method for laboratory based surveillance of lethal infections.
authors.affiliation: Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Ministry of Health, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Afshin
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Safaie
authors.forename: Seyed Mohsen
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Mousavi
authors.forename: Ronald E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: LaPorte
authors.forename: Mohammad Mehdi
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Goya
authors.forename: Mohsen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zahraie
mesh_terms: D000046:Academic Medical Centers; D040421:Cell Phone; D003141:Communicable Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D007492:Iran; D007753:Laboratories; D011159:Population Surveillance / Q000379:methods*