DIMACS Workshop on The Epidemiology and Evolution of Influenza

November 28 - 29, 2005
DIMACS Center, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ

Organizers:
Catherine Macken, Los Alamos National Labs, cam@t10.lanl.gov
Alan Perelson, Los Alamos National Labs, asp@lanl.gov
Presented under the auspices of the Special Focus on Computational and Mathematical Epidemiology.

This workshop will explore the epidemiology and evolution of influenza. The persistence of influenza depends on its ability to evolve so that new strains and subtypes of the virus appear and old ones reappear. This constant evolution means that vaccines need to be updated frequently and that resistance to drug therapies can easily arise. The workshop will bring together public health practitioners, immunologists, epidemiologists, evolutionary biologists, mathematicians, statisticians, and computer scientists to explore the evolution and dynamics of influenza. Among the issues to be explored are the causes and consequences of patterns of immunological cross-reactivity, and the interactions with drug treatment and vaccination strategies. In addition, the applicability of SIR and agent based models to predict the spread of influenza, and the means of dealing with and planning for an influenza pandemic, will be discussed.
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Document last modified on June 1, 2005.