Forecasting the geographical spread of smallpox cases by air travel

R. F. Grais, J. H. Ellis, G. E. Glass

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

21 Scopus citations

Abstract

Instituting air travel restrictions to slow the geographical spread of smallpox cases would have significant consequences and present serious logistical concerns. Public health decision makers must weigh the potential benefits of such restrictions against their negative impact. The goal of this research is to provide a basic analytical framework to explore some of the issues surrounding the use of air travel restrictions as a part of an overall containment strategy. We report preliminary results of a compartmental model for the inter-city spread of smallpox cases resulting from US domestic air travel. Although air traffic can be halted within hours as was shown following the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001, these results suggest that the consequences of halting domestic air travel may not be outweighed by public health benefits.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)849-857
Number of pages9
JournalEpidemiology and infection
Volume131
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 2003
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Epidemiology
  • Infectious Diseases

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