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IBM Canada Wins $24-Million Services Agreement to Build Pan-Canadian Communicable Disease Surveillance System

Posted on: Wednesday, 6 September 2006, 15:00 CDT

A new IBM (NYSE: IBM) system will assist in the day-to-day delivery of public health services and will help manage the risk of communicable disease in Canada.

This system will help public health professionals provide better care for Canadians in response to the routine communicable diseases in Canada, like measles or influenza, and will improve preparedness for a major outbreak should one occur in the future.

The Province of British Columbia signed a five-year, $24.7-million contract with IBM Canada to design and build the system, and to support the system with continuing improvements over the next five years. All provinces and territories have participated with British Columbia and Canada Health Infoway in designing the new system. Each province and territory is planning its implementation strategy for the system that will be ready to install in 2007.

Once complete, the system will enable public health professionals to log on to a secure, easy-to-use portal and quickly enter information about cases, symptoms and outcomes, providing health officials with a timely and comprehensive view of the state of public health. Should a serious communicable disease occur, the system will alert public health officials who will plan and direct actions to protect Canadians.

"This project is essential in Canada's preparations for emerging public health threats," said Todd Kalyniuk, a partner in IBM Canada's healthcare consulting practice. "Canada learned from SARS that having an effective information system in the hands of front-line workers is key to early detection and effective management of communicable diseases like SARS, West Nile Virus, and Avian Flu."

The system is built on applications from IBM Canada Business Partners Scientific Technology Corporation, Science Applications International Corporation, Amaranth Consulting Group and Sotern NV, as well as IBM software products including Websphere, Tivoli and DB2.

Canada Health Infoway, the key investor in this initiative, received funding from the Government of Canada to plan and coordinate the development and implementation of the pan-Canadian disease surveillance and management system. Participating provinces and territories will cover the remainder of the costs.

For more information about IBM Healthcare, please visit: http://www.ibm.com/healthcare.

 Media Contacts: USA - Jay Cadmus 914-642-6219 jcadmus@us.ibm.com  Canada - Leslie Plant 416-478-9840 laplant@ca.ibm.com

SOURCE: IBM

Source: MARKET WIRE

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