Training sessions on Go.Data for health professionals from various states of Brazil to support the response to outbreaks and health emergencies [2022]. © Pan American Health Organization, Brazil.
Brazil, a vast country covering approximately 8.5 million km², is divided into 27 states and 5570 municipalities across five regions: North, Northeast, Central-West, Southeast, and South. These regions are home to about 212 million people. Given this extensive territory, implementing new technologies and innovations to ensure quality healthcare access throughout the country is a significant challenge.
The COVID-19 pandemic exposed several gaps in the public health system, particularly the need for an effective contact tracing strategy. In Brazil, there were no specific tools available for this purpose, prompting many localities to rely on monitoring spreadsheets or develop their own strategies.
In response, the first implementations of the Go.Data tool began in August 2021. Developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) in collaboration with partners at the Global Alert and Response Network (GOARN), Go.Data is a software designed to support outbreak response, particularly contact tracing efforts. It enables users to identify exposed individuals, monitor their health status, and visualize transmission chains. Two municipalities stood out in their use of the tool, applying it to investigate contacts in various situations, including within educational institutions. In these instances, more than 30 000 contacts were recorded. The implementation of the tool facilitated standardized contact tracing, allowing multiple professionals to collaborate concurrently. Furthermore, it supported the real-time creation of transmission chains, thereby offering crucial support in informed decision-making.
Following the success of various initiatives and the emergence of mpox in Brazil in 2022, efforts were made to implement state-level servers with support from the National Council of Health Secretaries. As a result, approximately 15 states installed the tool within their infrastructures, expanding its use across different contexts. Subsequently, the Ministry of Health also adopted the tool, integrating it into its infrastructure while complying with all necessary security protocols and requirements. This marked a significant milestone for Brazil, enabling all states to access the tool.
In 2023, once the server was established at the Ministry of Health, Go.Data was utilized to monitor individuals exposed to animals with avian influenza. During this process, a centralized server was recommended to consolidate information, allowing 15 states to access the same server. This model represented progress in hierarchical access management and the geographic distribution of information, thereby strengthening epidemiological surveillance in the country.
Building on this experience, since 2024, the Ministry of Health, in partnership with the states, has been working to structure the national adoption of the tool in the context of measles and other diseases. To support this effort, two focal points have been trained in each state to ensure a timely response to epidemiological investigations in November 2023 by Pan American Health Organization (WHO Regional Office for the Americas or PAHO) and the Ministry of Health.
Epidemiology team from the state of Rio de Janeiro using Go.Data in response to an outbreak [2025]. © Pan American Health Organization, Brazil.
The implementation of Go.Data has streamlined contact investigations by providing a single online platform with regional access permissions, which enhances tracking and monitoring efforts. Brazil has successfully integrated this tool into its official case notification system, ensuring alignment with national guidelines. Furthermore, Go.Data is equipped with integrations for Power BI and Shiny, which improve data analysis and visualization capabilities. The development of guides and training courses focused on operational procedures has standardized processes and strengthened user competencies.
Felipe Lopes Vasconcelos, a national consultant for PAHO, reflects on the tool’s progress in the country. “We had the opportunity to understand the various realities at the state level in Brazil. Before introducing Go.Data, contact tracing was slow and lacked standardization. Today, we have already seen significant advances at different levels, and I believe we are moving toward a more timely response to outbreaks,” Felipe says.
The technical support provided by the WHO has been crucial in this process. Since 2020, the WHO team has offered continuous assistance, addressing all questions, needs, and suggestions from Brazil, which has contributed to the tool’s development over the years.