Since 2014, PODD has been actively detecting abnormal health events and preventing outbreaks in Thailand with incredible support from both local governments and local communities. While PODD relies on software, the success of the project largely depends on the real-time data coming from our disease detectives in the field. These livestock owners are incentivized to provide health officials with direct disease data, since their own livelihood depends on the health of their animals.
Community Members have a vested interest in reporting suspected illness on PODD, knowing it comes with expert veterinarian care for their animals—often provided even with false alarms. For livestock owners, this means improved animal health and a lessened risk of disease transmission. And if the case turns out to be a highly probable outbreak, then local health officials will quarantine the sick animals, thus saving the rest of the livestock and possibly their own families’ lives.
-
The local communities who have PODD tend to trust their government more readily, as the open communication engenders mutual understanding and shared incentives of keeping communities safe.
-
Local communities also trust that their government will respond to problems quicker because the PODD system empowers them to signal to their government when there’s a problem to address.
-
Community engagement has increased as communities now have a tool they use to take action themselves in order to prevent outbreaks.
-
Volunteers’ performance with the PODD system over time requires firm commitment from local leadership, and periodic training and events to keep them engaged with the project.
-
The majority of backyard farmed animals live outside the capabilities of formal agricultural surveillance.
-
Many local people were still consuming or selling chickens, cows, pigs, and other animals that died of unknown causes – some of which could have died from avian influenza, foot and mouth disease, african swine fever, or other deadly diseases.