Farida Kabir developed the online portal www.otrac.com.ng while on national youth service at the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control.
The zoology graduate from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, took coding lessons from her surrounding family of computer experts and said she was motivated to bring knowledge of hemorrhagic fevers online after the “scary ebola epidemic” which killed thousands across West Africa.
“It was a pressing and trying period. Everybody’s first reaction was panic,” she said.
“Information is out there but local communities don’t have access to it, and they will rely on the next alternative,” she said.
The portal for Online Training and Awareness Campaign (OTRAC) for Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers support a sign up and login for five separate courses and curriculum on hemorrhagic fevers, including Ebola, Lassa fever and Yellow Fever.
A post-training test leads to certification endorsed by the federal ministry of health. Linked social media accounts will allow the NCDC, when it takes over the portal, to send messages to Nigerians on social media, and forums will allow users share their thoughts.
Health permanent secretary Linus Awute said health practitioners will subscribe to the portal for training and testing. Modules for grading tests are expected to be in place when the NCDC takes full control of the portal.
