SORMAS

SORMAS strenghens the surveillance and outbreak management systems in countries for them to be better prepared to fight epidemics and pandemics.

Project start date :

Last updated : 02/10/2025

Beneficiary country : Afghanistan Bolivia (Plurinational State of) Ivory Coast Djibouti Ghana Luxembourg Nepal Nigeria Tunisia

Healthcare themes targeted

  • Malaria/paludism
  • Infectious diseases
  • HIV/AIDS
  • Vaccination

Fields of application

  • Other(s) (specify)

Stage of development

  • Routine project/operational

Financing method

  • Public (grant/subsidies, call for proposals/call for tender, etc.)
  • Private (private investors, crowdfunding, philanthropy, etc.)
  • Government agency (USAID, etc.)

Area where the project is utilised

  • International (in several countries)

Economic model(s)

  • Revenue generated by the beneficiaries/healthcare facilities
  • Donations

What problem does the initiative address ?

Many countries do not have adequate surveillance and outbreak management systems. Either they are using paper and/or excel files for data collection or they are using fragmented digital systems that only collect one-disease specific data using a bottom up approach.

SORMAS does not only provide an integrated disease platform for digitalized real-time data collection, but it also allows the early detection of of outbreaks (early warning function), and coordination of health teams for an efficient management and response to epidemics and pandemics.

Detailed description of the initiative

SORMAS (Surveillance Outbreak Response Management & Analysis System) is an open-source digital platform for epidemic and pandemic preparedness and response. The system allows routine disease surveillance, early detection, and management of disease outbreaks.

It is recognized as a Digital Public Good (DPG)[1] and as a mature digital Global Good[2], and it is in use in several countries across 5 WHO regions, including Nigeria, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Tunisia, Djibouti, Nepal, Afghanistan, Luxemburg and Bolivia.

Target beneficiaries are personnel involved in the control of epidemics from the community level to the ministry of health. This includes health staff at Emergency Operating Centers (EOCs), hospitals, points of entry, laboratory technicians, community health workers, surveillance officers, case and contact supervisors, among others.

SORMAS enables real-time multidirectional digital data exchange between beneficiaries for early detection of outbreaks and rapid response across national and regional borders. It offers modules for over 40 infectious diseases and can be used online or offline on computers or mobile devices such as smartphones or tablets.  Through localization and customization of the system, it can be adapted for its use in different settings, according to the needs of the countries.

The development of a new version of SORMAS, SORMAS 2.0, is planned and will include the full integration of the One Health approach as well as an updated technology stack including best-practices, lessons learnt, customizability, extensibility and incorporate data standards for interoperability for the seamless integration into health systems in countries. This innovative SORMAS version will set up the basis for the next generation of international digital surveillance and outbreak response capabilities. In addition, it will contribute to increase resilience of health systems against climate-sensitive diseases, which are exacerbated due to climate change.

[1] https://digitalpublicgoods.net/registry/

[2]https://globalgoodsguidebook.org/global-goods/surveillance-outbreak-response-management-and-analysis-system-sormas/

Full list of publications can be found here: https://sormas.org/learn/publications/

What is the proposed solution added value ?

SORMAS is always integrated into the health systems in countries, which means that it is connected to other software solutions such as for example laboratory information systems (LIMS). SORMAS adds value to other solutions because it has the capacity to integrate data coming from different sources and it can also push data into other systems.

10 000

Number of beneficiaries since launch

6 Full-Time equivalents

6 Employees

N/C Volunteers

N/C Service providers

SORMAS

10 000

Number of beneficiaries since launch

Target audience

  • Healthcare professionals and structures (hospitals, healthcare centres/clinics, health networks)

Project objectives

  • Decreased mortality
  • Decreased morbidity
  • Reduced suffering
  • Improved treatment
  • Other (please explain)

Materials used

  • Smartphone
  • Tablet
  • Computer

Technologies used

  • Internet
  • Geolocation
  • Mobile app (Android, iOS, Windows Phone, HTML5, etc.)

Offline use

Yes

Open source

Yes

Open data

No

Independent evaluation

Yes, evaluated independently

About the sponsor

SORMAS Foundation

The SORMAS project started in 2015 in the aftermath of the Ebola epidemic in West Africa. It started as a collaboration between a German research institute (Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research) and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC). SORMAS evolved from a prototype into becoming the national surveillance and outbreak system in Nigeria and other countries, being also used by European countries during the COVID-19 pandemic. To address the need of support of the countries and maintenance of the system, the project was spined-off from the research institute and the SORMAS Foundation was established in 2022.

The SORMAS Foundation is a non-profit organization whose vision is “a world in which all countries are prepared to respond to epidemics and pandemics digitally and collaboratively.” It aims to support countries in strengthening their surveillance and outbreak management systems through the implementation of SORMAS, as well as to ensure the high-quality standards and sustainability of the software itself.

The support to countries offered by the SORMAS Foundation includes the joint needs assessment, configuration, and customization of the system, trainings (using the training of trainers approach) and the follow up during the first months of use, until countries/organizations are independent from the Foundation. They are then invited to be part of the global SORMAS community and share their developments and experiences with all other users. This approach ensures the adaptation of the system to the local needs as well as its sustainable implementation.

Link to SORMAS booklet: https://sormas.org/booklet/

Sector : Institutions (Communities, public authorities, NGOs, foundations, etc.)

Country of origin : Germany

Contact : Sponsor website Project website

Back to projects

Partners

  • AFENET (African Field Epidemiology Network)

    Institutions (Communities, public authorities, NGOs, foundations, etc.)

  • Healthcare (professionals and structures)