AI-assisted operational intelligence to help health authorities stay ahead of epidemic spread — through better prediction, coordination and field intelligence.
Dear Team,
I want to personally welcome each of you to the VitaAlert Health Grid initiative, and thank you for agreeing to be part of what I believe can become far larger than any one individual or organisation.
Between you, you bring expertise across epidemiology, infectious diseases, molecular biology, clinical medicine, humanitarian operations, public health, biodefense, research and international health. Together we are assembling an exceptional multidisciplinary team, united by a common goal: helping health authorities respond more effectively to epidemic threats.
The recent Ebola outbreak has again demonstrated a reality that has repeated itself across Africa over the past decade: too often, outbreaks are not contained because information, coordination and operational decision-making cannot keep pace with disease transmission.
Communities, healthcare workers and response organisations frequently know an outbreak is occurring — but they lack a shared operational picture that lets them anticipate where the disease is moving, coordinate resources efficiently, and intervene before transmission accelerates.
VitaAlert is being built to close that gap — an AI-assisted operational intelligence platform that enables Ministries of Health, community health workers, laboratories, NGOs, Africa CDC and WHO partners to stay ahead of epidemic spread through better prediction, coordination and field intelligence. We believe this is an important unmet need in global health.
Although our fundraising began later than originally planned, we are now actively engaging funding partners, grant opportunities and strategic collaborators to secure support for the next phase of development.
I remain highly optimistic about the road ahead. The quality of this team gives me real confidence that, together, we can build something of genuine scientific, operational and humanitarian value.
At this stage, VitaAlert is an early-stage collaborative initiative. Participation is entirely voluntary until external funding is secured. There are no minimum time commitments and no fixed expectations.
Any contribution — reviewing a document, offering scientific guidance, sharing operational experience or making an introduction — is genuinely valued and helps strengthen the project. As funding is secured, we intend to formalise advisory arrangements and appropriately recognise and compensate the contributions our team members make.
To keep things simple and efficient, we will initially coordinate through WhatsApp, using two groups:
If you haven't already, please reply to confirm the mobile number you'd like added to the WhatsApp groups.
Over the coming days I'll share links to our current working documents. The team roadmap is ready now; the rest will follow shortly.
Our draft six-month work programme, including the collaborative workstreams and an open invitation for the ideas you'd like us to explore.
Coming shortly
These documents are intended for internal collaboration and review.
Over the next several months our objective is to refine the scientific foundations of VitaAlert, validate its operational concepts with experts such as yourselves, strengthen partnerships, and prepare the platform for its first pilot deployment.
Most importantly, I hope this becomes a collaborative environment where every member feels able to contribute ideas, challenge assumptions and help shape the platform's direction. I'll keep everyone informed as things develop, and I look forward to working with each of you.
Thank you once again for joining VitaAlert.
Warm regards,