HCIDC (KEEL) intranet, web portal & Epidemiological Surveillance web applications

Project Title: Design and installation of KEEL intranet and computer centre. Design and implementation of the KEEL Web site (www.keel.org.gr/en/). Development of pilot epidemiological monitoring application for following-up infectious diseases for which mandatory declaration applies (https://inf.keel.org.gr/). Application and implementation of a cohort-level statistical model to AIDS or hepatitis patients.

Assigned by: Hellenic Centre for Infectious Diseases Control (HCIDC - KEEL)

Start Date: 10/6/2001

Duration: 10 months

Duration of support: 3 years

The project consisted in the development of a web-based software application (operating in a network environment over the Internet), which will maintain and manage a database specifically designed for the application, as it manages medical information monitored by the Special Infections Units on a National Scale.

Central administration is performed by KEEL, with the regional units being responsible for application administration on the basis of the responsibilities and restrictions ensuing from the application model as specified by the KEEL epidemiological protocols and the international epidemiological data available through relevant studies.

The epidemiological processing, together with the available special reports generated by the application, constitute powerful tools for the promotion of scientific research in the key area of special infections, while harmonizing the situation in our country with international epidemiological data.

UNIX Operating System (RedHat Linux).

DataBase server under UNIX (MySQL server ver 3.23).

The application was developed using the Perl and C++ programming languages and the php and XML technologies

Firewall installation, HTTPS protocol (Secure Socket Layers Security 128-bit)

The Hellenic Center For Infectious Diseases Control (H.C.I.D.C. - KEEL) is a legal person under private law and operates under the supervision of the Minister of Health and Welfare.

The purpose of KEEL is to handle, monitor, coordinate and assist the activities aimed at preventing the spreading of specific contagious diseases and at implementing suitable treatment approaches. Specific contagious diseases are considered to be all infectious diseases that represent a priority for Public Health.

The creation of the KEEL Web site consists in the promotion of the organisation’s social contribution in the field of control of special infections, as well as a detailed presentation of the structure and operation of KEEL. Key elements in this approach are the extensive and dynamic links to the KEEL information campaigns aiming to raise the awareness of the public about issues regarding to AIDS and other medical-social matters handled by KEEL.

The KEEL Magazine for the public is a dynamic Web site updated by the KEEL scientific personnel. Its purpose is to inform the public on issues regarding AIDS, as well as on other infections which significantly impact on Public Health, such as the various types of hepatitis etc. A dynamic administration application allows articles and pictures to be entered.

The KEEL Magazine for Health Care Professionals constitutes a authoritative forum for presentation on the Internet of scientific publications on AIDS and other infectious diseases. The doctors and other Health Care professionals who are the authors of these articles, obtain a username and password after approval by KEEL. KEEL maintains the right of final processing and the right to publish or not these articles.

Selection, entering and formatting of the articles and supporting material published is performed through an easy-to-use and dynamically parameterised Web-based application, which constitutes the administration module.

Various administration levels are foreseen for the information entered into and published on the KEEL Web site, each of them having different authorities associated with each authorised user.