RFID technology which has been traditionally used to track assets in a supply chain, can also be effectively employed to track and contain diseases
By Srikanth RP, NC, September 29, 2009, 1130 hrs

With the Swine Flu death toll at more than 200 in India, health administrators in the country face a mammoth challenge in containing the spread of the disease. The chance of infection spreading in hospitals is greater as there is no accurate way to determine when an individual comes in contact with an infected person.

One effective solution that administrators can use, apart from sanitation measures, is using RFID tags for both patients and visitors in hospitals. RFID technology which has been traditionally used to track assets in a supply chain, can also be effectively employed to track and contain diseases.

Says Andrew Tay, APAC President, Zebra Technologies, “Hospitals can use RFID technology to track patients, and effectively contain the disease from spreading. You could even find out who has been in touch with the infected person. Using this information, you can track the source from where the disease has originated. Once the source has been identified, health administrators can move in to quarantine the patient and the location.”