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Disease Lab

Lessons > Vaccination > Step 2

In this step we'll look at the effects of using a counter-measure by vaccinating a certain percentage of the population against Impfluenza. This represents a real-life scenario, where the country vaccinates a certain portion of its population against the expected influenza strains for that year. Change the tableau in the upper right corner of the simulator from Virgin to Vaccine. Predict and record the sick days per capita at medium population and medium mixing while the vaccine is in use. Run the simulator three times and record your data. Compare your results to the table in Lesson 2 Step 1. Then change the parameters to high population and high mixing with vaccine in use. Predict what will happen and run the simulator three times, recording your data for each run. Answer the following:

  1. For the first set of parameters (medium/medium), how does the vaccine reduce sick days? How large a percentage of the population would have to be immunized in order to bring the sick days per capita reliably below 0.1 per capita?
  2. How does using vaccination compare to changing the mixing or population density of the field?

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