[danielford]

These simulations are wonderful. I'll be showing some of them to my microbiology class later this semester when I discuss vaccines.

I wish there was a simulation for ring vaccination though. It would be a nice visual aid for explaining how smallpox was eradicated.

[oconnor0]

Ring vaccination?

[ghshephard]

From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smallpox

"In the early 1950s an estimated 50 million cases of smallpox occurred in the world each year.[5] To eradicate smallpox, each outbreak had to be stopped from spreading, by isolation of cases and vaccination of everyone who lived close by. This process is known as "ring vaccination". The key to this strategy was monitoring of cases in a community (known as surveillance) and containment."

[mark_integerdsv]

Reading this reminded me of an anti AIDS campaign we have here in South Africa. I can't bring to mind the catch-phrase but the gist of it is that one HIV free generation could stop the virus forever.

[damncabbage]

Interesting. Like what fire-fighters do with bushfires: remove the fuel to contain the outbreak.

[mistercow]

It's a process where you contain outbreaks by identifying them and vaccinating everyone who might come in contact with an infected person. You create a "ring" of vaccinated people around the infected, which prevents the infection from spreading.

[JulianMorrison]

Intentionally creating a pocket of herd immunity around an outbreak.