Despite the progress made in reducing under-five (0-49 months of age) mortality in low income
countries, three quarters of deaths within this age-group is still due to malaria, pneumonia, diarrhea and
newborn conditions. The correct treatment of these conditions is the most powerful intervention. However,
in those countries facility-based services alone do not provide adequate access to treatment; and most
importantly, not within the crucial window of 24 hours after onset of symptoms [1]. In Uganda for example,
a recent Malaria Indicator Survey reported that 42% of children (0-49 months) were infected with malaria
parasites, yet only 14% received the recommended Artemisinin-based Combination Therapy (ACT) within
24 hours of onset of symptoms [2]. Malaria causes significant morbidity and mortality in many developing
countries—the World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that in 2010 there were 219 million cases of
malaria and 660,000 deaths attributed to the disease. The WHO and UNICEF [1] have called for the
strengthening of community health workers (CHWs) so that services are brought closer to the community
within the integrated Community Case Management (iCCM) strategy targeting the three killer diseases
(malaria, pneumonia, and diarrhea). In this strategy, CHWs (lay people without medical knowledge)
complete a short training program to enable them provide a life-saving intervention at household and
community levels against these diseases that was formerly provided by facility-based nurses or doctors
only. The training for CHWs is provided either by Ministry of Health staff or non-governmental
organizations in collaboration with the ministry of health, so that they are able to obtain the skills and
knowledge necessary to provide appropriate care. The iCCM model has been adopted with countries
adapting WHO/UNICEF implementation guidelines [3, 4]. Some 46 countries were reported to have in
addition incorporated testing for malaria in iCCM using rapid diagnostic methods [5]. The main challenge
though is that current malaria surveillance systems detect only 10% of the estimated global number of
cases. Therefore, with the inherent limitations in the reporting system in the public sector [5], a low-cost
innovative approach to collecting malaria surveillance data is strongly needed to enhance the iCCM
strategy. Furthermore, collecting surveillance data will allow for the analysis of spatial distribution patterns
of malaria cases over time which may help direct intervention efforts. This technology also has the
potential to be applied across many diseases to create comprehensive disease surveillance and early
notification systems and to track the effect of human movement on disease spread.