AB094. RodentWatch as a smart integrated platform to raise awareness and control for advanced leptospirosis management
Abstract

AB094. RodentWatch as a smart integrated platform to raise awareness and control for advanced leptospirosis management

Sunna Vyatra Hutagalung1, Anita Zaitunah2, Erna Budhiarti Nababan3, Rita Rosmala Dewi4, Muhammad Daniel Azlan bin Mahadzir5, Jonas Karlström5

1Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Sumatera Utara, Medan, Indonesia; 2Faculty of Forestry, Universitas Sumatera Utara, Medan, Indonesia; 3Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, Faculty of Computer Science and Information Technology, Universitas Sumatera Utara, Medan, Indonesia; 4Department of Animal Husbandry, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universitas Tjut Nyak Dhien, Medan, Indonesia; 5SingHealth Duke-NUS Global Health Institute, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore

Background: Leptospirosis has been shown to cause fever, liver or kidney failure, and even death in humans, particularly those residing in tropical countries. In agriculture, it can create economic loss, as it can cause abortion and decreased milk production among farm animals. Six Indonesian provinces in Java reported confirmed leptospirosis, with 920 cases and 122 reported deaths in 2019. In North Sumatera, an area with tropical climate and high rainfalls, surveillance on wild rodents showed infestation of pathogenic Leptospira spp. covered up to 33.9% prevalence and necessitates a smart and targeted monitoring approach. The objective of this study is to assess the small pilot trial application of RodentWatch as the integrated platform for leptospirosis management in Medan Tuntungan subdistrict, as one of the subdistricts in Medan, the capital city of North Sumatera, among the local stakeholders and the local community as the end-users.

Methods: RodentWatch is a platform that provides end-to-end approach for leptospirosis management. Secondary data on case reports, community risk factors, and awareness levels from health and veterinary aspects were collected to initiate its development. Furthermore, spatial layers of key biophysical factors were prepared as inputs to create a leptospirosis risk prediction model. Alongside, a digital storytelling strategy was developed to raise awareness among community and stakeholders.

Results: Preliminary data indicate that leptospirosis is not part of the main targeted work programs among local stakeholders despite its risk. Through small survey among local residents, most respondents (58.6%) have encountered wild rodents wandering around their neighborhood, yet most were not aware of leptospirosis as a rodent-borne disease. Furthermore, reported data found positive leptospirosis cases among pets from a local veterinary clinic, indicating underreported situation and potential active risk of transmission to farm animals. From early development of digital storytelling, pilot trial showed community has improved understanding of leptospirosis and its associated risk such as poor hygiene and temperate environment.

Conclusions: Comprehensive and smart approach is needed for leptospirosis management. RodentWatch is a platform that has the potential to spearhead management from the ground to the health system.

Keywords: Community; comprehensive; leptospirosis; management; rodent

Footnote

Conflicts of Interest: A.Z., E.B.N., R.R.D., and S.V.H. received the 2025 Asia Pacific Global Health Innovation Incubation fellowship from SingHealth to develop the RodentWatch platform, and received support for the work from their affiliated institution; Universitas Sumatera Utara. A.Z., E.B.N., R.R.D., and S.V.H. own the patent right for the RodentWatch platform. M.D.A.M. and J.K. provided the support for the work as part of the organizer for the fellowship through the SingHealth Duke-NUS Global Health Institute. The authors have no other conflicts of interest to declare.

Open Access Statement: This is an Open Access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0), which permits the noncommercial replication and distribution of the article with the strict proviso that no changes or edits are made and the original work is properly cited (including links to both the formal publication through the relevant DOI and the license). See: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/.

doi: 10.21037/jphe-26-ab094
Cite this abstract as: Hutagalung SV, Zaitunah A, Nababan EB, Dewi RR, Mahadzir MDAB, Karlström J. AB094. RodentWatch as a smart integrated platform to raise awareness and control for advanced leptospirosis management. J Public Health Emerg 2026;10:AB094.

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