Case Study: PATH (global health non-profit) achieves a 21% reduction in missing malaria reports and faster community response with Twilio SMS alerts

PATH Uses SMS Data Alerts to Help End Malaria in Zambia

PATH, a global health nonprofit, partnered with Zambia’s Ministry of Health and technology partners including Twilio and the Tableau Foundation to improve malaria surveillance. The challenge was incomplete and untimely reporting from health facilities and community health workers—gaps that hindered Zambia’s shift from broad control measures to targeted, elimination-focused responses.

PATH developed Viz Alerts, an open-source Python tool that detects missing data, sends SMS prompts via Twilio, accepts SMS replies from health workers, and automatically updates Tableau dashboards. Deployed across 200 facilities, the system reduced missing reports by over 21%, sped follow-up at the facility and community levels, and is being scaled to additional provinces to sharpen malaria response and decision-making.

PATH

Jeff Berson

Senior Director of Results Management, Measurement, and Learning