Mr. Silva and patient zero: A medical social network and data visualization information system

Abstract

Detection of Patient Zero is an increasing concern in a world where fast international transports makes pandemia a Public Health issue and a social fear, in cases such as Ebola or H5N1. The development of a medical social network and data visualization information system, which would work as an interface between the patient medical data and geographical and/or social connections, could be an interesting solution, as it would allow to quickly evaluate not only individuals at risk but also the prospective geographical areas for imminent contagion. In this work we propose an ideal model, and contrast it with the status quo of present medical social networks, within the context of medical data visualization. From recent publications, it is clear that our model converges with the identified aspects of prospective medical networks, though data protection is a key concern and implementation would have to seriously consider it.