Artificial Intelligence in Infectious Disease Detection and Control: A Systematic Literature Review of Advancements, Challenges, and Future Directions
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
Background: Artificial Intelligence (AI) plays a critical role in combating infectious diseases by enabling early detection, outbreak prediction, and real-time surveillance. This study explores how AI improves prediction accuracy, responsiveness, and overall public health outcomes.
Method: A systematic review of literature from 2019 to 2025 was conducted across databases including PubMed, Scopus, IEEE Xplore, and Google Scholar. Selected studies focused on machine learning, deep learning, and neural networks applied to infectious disease management, particularly in predicting outbreaks and guiding real-time responses.
Results: A total of 30 peer-reviewed studies were reviewed. The findings indicate that AI models significantly enhance the early detection and forecasting of infectious diseases, including COVID-19, malaria, and Ebola. Compared to traditional methods, AI demonstrated greater predictive accuracy and faster response capabilities. Real-time AI-powered surveillance also supported better resource allocation and outbreak management. The effectiveness of these models varied based on disease type, data quality, and local health infrastructure.
Conclusion: AI has proven effective in enhancing infectious disease control through improved prediction, faster response, and better-informed decision-making. These findings underscore the importance of integrating AI tools into public health infrastructure while addressing persistent challenges such as data standardization, ethical concerns, and technological access disparities.
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
References
Agrebi S, Larbi A. Use of artificial intelligence in infectious diseases. In: Artificial Intelligence in Precision Health. Academic Press; 2020. p. 415-38.
Aldubikhi A. The role of artificial intelligence in the control and prevention of infectious diseases. J Health Inform Dev Ctries. 2023;17(01).
Al-Hajjar S. Breakthroughs in artificial intelligence for combating infectious diseases. Int J Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2024;11(3):55-7.
Brownstein JS, Rader B, Astley CM, Tian H. Advances in artificial intelligence for infectious-disease surveillance. N Engl J Med. 2023;388(17):1597-607.
Chakraborty S, Paul H, Ghatak S, Pandey SK, Kumar A, Singh KU, Shah MA. An AI-based medical chatbot model for infectious disease prediction. IEEE Access. 2022;10:128469-128483.
Fitzpatrick F, Doherty A, Lacey G. Using artificial intelligence in infection prevention. Curr Treat Options Infect Dis. 2020;12:135-44.
Hsu JC, Lu CY, Hsu MH. Artificial intelligence in infectious diseases: pathogenesis and therapy. Front Med. 2024;11:1414056.
Kaur I, Behl T, Aleya L, Rahman H, Kumar A, Arora S, et al. Artificial intelligence as a fundamental tool in management of infectious diseases and its current implementation in COVID-19 pandemic. Environ Sci Pollut Res. 2021;28(30):40515-32.
Li C, Ye G, Jiang Y, Wang Z, Yu H, Yang M. Artificial intelligence in battling infectious diseases: a transformative role. J Med Virol. 2024;96(1):e29355.
Liang SH, Zhang J. Artificial intelligence facilitates tropical infectious disease control and research. Chin J Schistosomiasis Control. 2022;34(5):445.
Melchane S, Elmir Y, Kacimi F, Boubchir L. Artificial intelligence for infectious disease prediction and prevention: a comprehensive review. arXiv preprint arXiv:2411.10486. 2024.
Otaigbe I. Scaling up artificial intelligence to curb infectious diseases in Africa. Front Digit Health. 2022;4:1030427.
Parums DV. Infectious disease surveillance using artificial intelligence AI and its role in epidemic and pandemic preparedness. Med Sci Monit. 2023;29:e941209-1.
Rabaan AA, Bakhrebah MA, Alotaibi J, Natto ZS, Alkhaibari RS, Alawad E, et al. Unleashing the power of artificial intelligence for diagnosing and treating infectious diseases: a comprehensive review. J Infect Public Health. 2023;16(11):1837-47.
Rahman MS, Safa NT, Sultana S, Salam S, Karamehic-Muratovic A, Overgaard HJ. Role of artificial intelligence-internet of things (AI-IoT) based emerging technologies in the public health response to infectious diseases in Bangladesh. Parasite Epidemiol Control. 2022;18:e00266.
Sarantopoulos A, Mastori Kourmpani C, Yokarasa AL, Makamanzi C, Antoniou P, Spernovasilis N, et al. Artificial intelligence in infectious disease clinical practice: an overview of gaps, opportunities, and limitations. Trop Med Infect Dis. 2024;9(10):228.
Siddig EE, Eltigani HF, Ahmed A. The rise of AI: how artificial intelligence is revolutionizing infectious disease control. Ann Biomed Eng. 2023;51(12):2636-7.
Santangelo OE, Gentile V, Pizzo S, Giordano D, Cedrone F. Machine learning and prediction of infectious diseases: a systematic review. Mach Learn Knowl Extr. 2023;5(1):175-9
Siddique MM, Seraj MMB, Adnan MN, Galib SM. Artificial intelligence for infectious disease detection: prospects and challenges. Surveillance, Prevention, and Control of Infectious Diseases: An AI Perspective. 2024;1:1-22.
Srivastava V, Kumar R, Wani MY, Robinson K, Ahmad A. Role of artificial intelligence in early diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases. Infect Dis (Lond). 2025;57(1):1-26.
Tran NK, Albahra S, May L, Waldman S, Crabtree S, Bainbridge S, et al. Evolving applications of artificial intelligence and machine learning in infectious diseases testing. Clin Chem. 2022;68(1):125-33.
Wong F, de la Fuente-Nunez C, Collins JJ. Leveraging artificial intelligence in the fight against infectious diseases. Science. 2023;381(6654):164-70.
Wong ZS, Zhou J, Zhang Q. Artificial intelligence for infectious disease big data analytics. Infect Dis Health. 2019;24(1):44-8.
Zeng D, Cao Z, Neill DB. Artificial intelligence–enabled public health surveillance—from local detection to global epidemic monitoring and control. In: Artificial Intelligence in Medicine.