Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Jun 30;13(2):7.
doi: 10.5365/wpsar.2022.13.2.918. eCollection 2022 Apr-Jun.

Comparison of strategies for daily surveillance of international travellers quarantined in Vanuatu, October-December 2020

Caroline van Gemert  1   2   3 , Wendy Williams  4 , Joanne Mariasua  4 , Debbie Fred  1 , Matthew Cornish  5 , Len Tarivonda  4 , Posikai Samuel Tapo  4 , Vincent Atua  6 , Obed Manwo  7 , Philippe Guyant  8 , Lola Iavro  4 , Geoff Clark  1
Affiliations

Comparison of strategies for daily surveillance of international travellers quarantined in Vanuatu, October-December 2020

Caroline van Gemert et al. Western Pac Surveill Response J. .

Abstract

Objective: To prevent importation of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) to Vanuatu, since March 2020, all travellers to the country have been required to complete a 14-day quarantine in a government-designated facility. A short message service (SMS, or "text message") system was developed to collect information on symptoms of COVID-19 among travellers in quarantine. A trial within a cohort study was conducted among travellers arriving to Vanuatu by air from 27 October to 7 December 2020 to assess SMS acceptability, efficiency and utility and whether SMS-based health monitoring was as effective as in-person monitoring in identifying people with COVID-19 symptoms.

Methods: Control group participants received standard monitoring (daily in-person visits) and participants in the intervention group received a daily SMS text requesting a response coded for symptom development. Differences between the two groups were determined using χ2 tests.

Results: Of the 495 eligible travellers, 423 participated; 170 were allocated to the control group and 253 to the intervention group. At least one return SMS text was received from 50% (107/212) of participants who were confirmed to have received an SMS text. Less than 2% (4/253) of the intervention group and 0% of the control group reported symptoms.

Discussion: The SMS intervention had a high level of acceptability. SMS is a useful tool to monitor symptom development among people in quarantine and for broader public health programmes that require follow up.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Coronavirus disease. 2019 (COVID-19): Vanuatu situation report 3–23 March 2020. Port Vila: Vanuatu Ministry of Health; 2020. Available from: https://covid19.gov.vu/images/Situation-reports/Situation_Report_3.pdf, accessed 31 May 2021.
    1. Domek GJ, Contreras-Roldan IL, O’Leary ST, Bull S, Furniss A, Kempe A, et al. SMS text message reminders to improve infant vaccination coverage in Guatemala: A pilot randomized controlled trial. Vaccine. 2016. May 5;34(21):2437–43. 10.1016/j.vaccine.2016.03.065 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Menzies R, Heron L, Lampard J, McMillan M, Joseph T, Chan J, et al. A randomised controlled trial of SMS messaging and calendar reminders to improve vaccination timeliness in infants. Vaccine. 2020. March 30;38(15):3137–42. 10.1016/j.vaccine.2020.02.045 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Pintye J, Rogers Z, Kinuthia J, Mugwanya KK, Abuna F, Lagat H, et al. Two-way short message service (SMS) communication may increase pre-exposure prophylaxis continuation and adherence among pregnant and postpartum women in Kenya. Glob Health Sci Pract. 2020. March 31;8(1):55–67. 10.9745/GHSP-D-19-00347 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Wagstaff A, van Doorslaer E, Burger R. SMS nudges as a tool to reduce tuberculosis treatment delay and pretreatment loss to follow-up. A randomized controlled trial. PLoS One. 2019. June 20;14(6):e0218527. 10.1371/journal.pone.0218527 - DOI - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources