KINGSTON, Jamaica – The Ministry of Health says it has started an online reporting system for symptoms associated with Zika and other diseases in a bid to be able to track them more effectively and in real time.

According to a statement from the ministry this afternoon, the move is in recognition of the fact that not all people see a medical doctor when they are ill.

The ministry explained that the ‘Surveillance Self Reporting Survey’ allows any citizen with access to the Internet to enter information on recently experienced medical complaints or symptoms which may be associated with a disease that is of importance to the national surveillance system.

The survey is applicable to a range of communicable diseases and protects the identity of anyone who is filling it out. The data collected, the ministry said, cannot be used to pinpoint an individual and enhances the confidentiality of the document and that it will also be easy to access the document as people will not need to download and install an app but open the link that goes directly to the survey.

 As a precaution, the health ministry said that they will validate and cross-check the findings of the online survey with reports from the routine and ongoing Sentinel Surveillance System. People are also being encouraged to provide accurate information required by the survey fields.

To access the survey, go to the Ministry of Health’s website and click on Zika FAQs in the Public Education Resources section. Once you have clicked on the Zika FAQs, scroll down the page to the Surveillance Self Reporting Survey heading and click the link.