As we anticipate the start of the annual influenza (flu) season, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), a division of the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS), is inviting eligible community members to join its countrywide respiratory health surveillance.
The CoughWatchSA programme is an online respiratory health surveillance platform developed by the NICD, which aims to monitor respiratory illness in the community. CoughWatchSA is a web-based platform that relies on voluntary user participation. Everyone who joins the programme joins a group of volunteers who report their symptom information every week for six months during the influenza season. The NICD uses these data to monitor trends in respiratory illness.
“We invite the public to support this programme by registering on the platform. This can be done by using the link provided: https://coughwatchsa.org.za/ We encourage people to share the link with friends and family to get more people involved. Your participation and outreach can make an impact on our understanding of respiratory health,”says a spokesperson at NICD.
The 2025 CoughWatchSA season was a success, with a total of 785 registered participants joining the programme and submitting weekly reports. Reported symptoms tracked well with laboratory-confirmed influenza and SARS-CoV-2 cases, providing early warning of increases in respiratory illness in the community.
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“From the symptomatic reports, 15% reported a cough and fever. The most commonly reported symptoms were runny nose, sneezing, coughing, sore throat, and fever. Among those with symptoms, 34% sought medical care, where most of our participants visited the clinic or general practitioner,” says the spokesperson.” Among those who sought other forms of care, a majority went to a pharmacy or used home remedies.”
“We would like to continue the success of the 2025 season this year, and we invite you to participate in this important study. This surveillance programme has been approved by the relevant ethics committees. Privacy and confidentiality are our utmost concerns, and we comply with all data protection regulations, including the POPI Act.It is important to note that this online survey does not replace any existing mobile apps from the national department of health, but rather serves as an extension to support ongoing efforts for respiratory disease surveillance.”
