Impact of early vaccination during influenza outbreaks

Vaccination is an important preventive measure against influenza infection during both seasonal epidemics and pandemic outbreaks. This research aims to understand the effect of early vaccination during influenza outbreaks. The objectives are to measure the effectiveness of early vaccination in terms of reducing disease burden (e.g., infection, hospitalization). We apply an important methodology, namely mathematical and computational techniques, to achieve our objectives. The goal is to evaluate vaccination scenarios that minimize morbidity and/or hospitalization, based on age profiles and other demographic variables of the population. These scenarios will identify an adaptive vaccination that could be adjusted weekly or bi-weekly, based on incidence of disease in different age groups of the population. The results will be used to inform vaccination policies, improve practices, and direct messaging for improving vaccination uptake and prioritization.

Faculty Supervisor:

Seyed Moghadas

Student:

Marek Laskowski

Partner:

Medicago Inc.

Discipline:

Mathematics

Sector:

Life sciences

University:

York University