TECHNOLOGY IN HEALTHCARE

Use of AI in Health Pandemics

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Introduction

Pandemics such the COVID-19 outbreak are severe global health. They spread quickly,

resulting in pervasive sickness, mortality, and societal disruptions. Our long-established

techniques of outbreak monitoring and containment may be inadequate to control fast-

spreading germs. People thus have had to rely on technology to address the threats posed by

health pandemics.

Background and Causes

Health pandemics are an intricate global phenomenon that condenses a blend of biological,

environmental, social, and economic factors. Health pandemics have occurred since the start

of civilization, with smallpox, the bubonic plague, and the flu being documented throughout

history as significant dent causes on human populations (Ionescu et al, 2022). Several reasons

in the current world have made pandemics highly likely and atrocious.

First, novel pathogens emerge and spread. Pathogens, which can be passed to humans from

other animal hosts, can be transmitted via zoonotic transmission. This is amplified by

deforestation, urbanization, and the growing frequency and nature of agriculture. Second,

pathogens travel across the globe at unprecedented rates due to globalization and increased

international travel, converting local outbreaks into worldwide epidemics (Hassell et al,

2017). The earth’s population is now entirely interlinked, causing the rapid spread of

infectious diseases to the ideal conditions.

Urbanization and population density facilitate the spread of pandemics. This is because such

environments offer the best places for transmission. Crowded cities, poor sanitation and

hygiene, and limited healthcare systems make it difficult to institute realistic containment

measures that will improve disease control and contain the spread. Social and economic

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vulnerabilities such as poverty specifically income inequality, inequity in health structure and

systems also expose various persons to infectious diseases (Hazarie et al, 2021).

Global health security is jeopardized by the increasing incidence of antimicrobial resistance.

Inappropriate antibiotic prescribing and overuse in hospitals, the food industry, and

agriculture have accelerated the circulation of drug-resistant strains across the world.

Infections that were previously curable are now untreatable, and there is an increased risk of

epidemics. In addition, pandemics wreak more havoc due of the presence of horrible

healthcare and public health programs, especially in low-income countries as was the case

with COVID-19. The scarcity of diagnostic capabilities, medical supplies, and experienced

medical personnel makes it difficult to quickly identify and respond (Aslam et al, 2018).

Diseases spread rapidly if people are unable to fight back. To conclude, health pandemics

differ in terms of background and underlying causes, based on diverse ecological, social,

economic, and biological aspects.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Artificial intelligence is the type of digital technology that holds great potential in mitigating

health pandemics. Predictive analytics and machine learning algorithms are an asset in

artificial intelligence. Predictive analytics involving the use of artificial intelligence utilize

complex algorithms that analyze massive data amounts from numerous sources. The sources

include search engines, social media, health records, and public health records. The

algorithms identify and recognize patterns and can predict the spread of infection within a

short period. Artificial intelligence assists in analyzing the data on the movement of people,

climate data, and factors enhancing transmission and spread to warn doctors before an

outbreak occurs, and it also aids in the distribution of resources by the relevant authorities.

Machine learning is vital in automatically processing and interpreting large, complicated

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datasets in various fields. It applies the model and learns historical relationships and from it

increases its predictive precision. It can discover relationships and correlation across datasets,

which human analyzers may not see (Secinaro et al, 2021). Thus, it increases the predictive

accuracy of the disease outbreak.

Concept of AI and Application

The utilization of artificial intelligence under health pandemics is by using the power of

complex algorithms in analyze and interprete vast amounts of data to make predictions. AI-

driven predictive analysis calculations and machine learning algorithms interpretation are

used in this process. The primary data collected from the different sources are social media,

health research, records, environmental sensors, and other disease surveillance systems,

among other sources (Esmaeilzadeh, 2020). The compilation happens before analysis with

machine learning algorithms to enable capturing of warning signs, real-time tracking of

spread, and prediction of future behaviors.

Furthermore, AI technology would monitor the impact and effectiveness that public health

interventions have on containment and controlling pandemic dynamics. The result would help

in resource utilization and evidence-based decision-making by the policymakers and

healthcare professionals in preparedness and response. Moreover, by providing real-time and

accurate trends and statistical data, AI-generated models have proven to help stakeholders

respond proactively to health pandemics by enabling the implementation of targeted

interventions for reducing the consequences of the spread of infectious disease on global

health and economics (Williams et al, 2021). Generally, the topic of AI and health pandemics

is a new paradigm of public health surveillance and response and offers stakeholders

unprecedented opportunities for preparedness and response for improved preparedness,

resilience, and response to emerging threats to global health security.

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How AI Helps in Pandemics

Artificial intelligence significantly aids in fighting health pandemics by transforming how we

detect, react to, and control infectious pandemics before they get out of control. Artificial

intelligence helps do this through its amazing ability to quickly process and analyze

enormous amounts of information, allowing the organization to implement early on detection,

precise prediction, and proactive intervention campaigns. AI-powered predictive analytics

detection tools are geniuses in spotting patterns and trends that may indicate the rise or spread

of infectious pandemics (Kaur et al, 2021). AI algorithms will browse data from a variety of

sources including social media, healthcare billing records, and environmental sensors for

early experimental warning signs of upsurges in activities and allow for a proactive approach.

Another vital area where AI can contribute to better outcomes is real-time monitoring of

disease spread. Due to the abilities to process vast amounts of information streams, artificial

intelligence algorithms can follow the spread of a pathogen and make predictions about the

likely futures of such events. Such information can be used governments to plan resource

distribution, confinement measures, and other responses (Agrebi & Larbi, 2020). Another

consideration that should not be left out is that measuring the number of individuals moving,

the degree to which spreading occurs, and the health sector’s capacity to handle new

morbidity allows artificial intelligence to generate data that policy makers can use to decide

to travel prohibitions, injections, and many other kinds of responses.

AI use in pandemics Case Studies

Various case studies demonstrate AI’s impact on health pandemics. For instance, in response

to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa in 2014, AI researchers used computer algorithms to

analyze data from Twitter and identify particular regions at a high risk of the disease. The

monitoring of social media conversations also allowed researchers to identify the amount of

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misinformation about the spread of Ebola. Additionally, scientists tracked locations with no

or poor healthcare infrastructure to enable more strategic resource allocation (Joshi et al,

2020).

Also, coronavirus disease in 2019 also involved AI in predicting the spread rate of infection

and guiding public health interventions. AI allowed scientists from the University of Oxford

to use population mobility data and information on how COVID-19 was spreading to predict

outbreaks three weeks in advance accurately. Furthermore, During the COVID-19 pandemic,

AI technology helped accelerate the development of vaccines and treatments. Pharmacuticle

companies Moderna and Pfizer used AI algorithms to analyze genetic sequences of the

coronavirus to identify potential drug targets, which expedited the drug discovery process

(Chang et al, 2021). AI-driven drug repurposing platforms were also used to discover existing

drugs that could be reused to treat COVID-19, which helped save time and resources in

creating effective treatments.

These two case studies show the various uses of AI technology to address the development of

infectious diseases, from the need for early detection and response to creating vaccines and

treatments. By Doing so, researchers and public health officials can expand their capabilities

to detect, mitigate, and manage the spread of infectious diseases.

Potential Side Effects of AI use

Despite the value of AI technology as a tool to combat health pandemics, its use might be

faced with numerous side effects and emerging issues. The most significant of those is the

threat to privacy and data security since the functioning of AI systems requires extensive

personal data use. Mishandling the private information may lead to data breaches and further

misuse, which could undermine the clients’ trust and increase surveillance issues.

Furthermore, the growing reliance on AI technology may undermine human talent and

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judgment by making people over trust the machines and limit the requirement for

accountability. Technological advancement, on the other hand, is certain to outpace the

development of regulatory measures, jeopardizing the sustainability and accountability of AI

technology implementation (Reddy et al, 2020). Hence, the potential apprehensions of using

AI in public health have to be mitigated via a broader framework promoting transparency,

accountability, sound utilization, and fairness in developing and utilizing AI technology for

public health.

Effectiveness and Evaluation

The efficacy of AI technology in fighting health pandemics is evident in promoting early

detection, response, and management of infectious diseases. Predictive analytics driven by AI

rapidly interpret large sets of data to provide essential information in good time, enabling pre-

emptive action, resource allocation, and policy formulation. From real case scenarios of

disease outbreaks like Ebola and the global Covid-19 pandemic, AI accurately predicts the

rate of disease spread, spots high-risk territories, and informs public health response systems.

However, its implementation may be faced with data quality issues, privacy violation, and

algorithmic shortcomings. Although potential benefits include robust responsiveness to health

pandemics, studies should be a part of the continued inquiry to ensure responsible and

sustainable deployment on relevant areas of limitation to safeguard health security.

Conclusion

To sum up, the health pandemics issue may be solved with digital technologies, and AI-

enabled predictive analytics is one of them. The power of data and analytics can boost the

capabilities of early detection, fast response, and efficient mitigation of infectious diseases

globally. However, these several problems considered in this paper, that is the ethical, legal,

and social issues, should be addressed to responsibly and fairly implement these technologies.

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