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		March 4, 2015
	
	Archived: Simulating the Potential Spread of Measles
Try out FRED Measles:
To help the public better understand how measles can spread, a team of infectious disease computer modelers at the University of Pittsburgh has launched a free, mobile-friendly tool that lets users simulate measles outbreaks in cities across the country.
The tool is part of the Pitt team’s Framework for Reconstructing Epidemiological Dynamics, or FRED, that it previously developed to simulate flu epidemics. FRED is based on anonymized U.S. census data that captures demographic and geographic distributions of different communities. It also incorporates details about the simulated disease, such as how contagious it is.
- Go to http://fred.publichealth.
pitt.edu/measles  
- Select “Get Started”
- Pick a state and city
- Play both simulations
 
A free, mobile-friendly tool lets users simulate potential measles outbreaks in cities across the country. Credit: University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health.
 
When most of the population is immunized, spread of contagious disease is contained. Credit: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. See infographic.
 . The coverage for measles varies by state, ranging from 81 to 99 percent.
Planned versions of FRED Measles will allow users to change vaccination rates and also to explore the effects of school closures on disease spread.
Pitt’s Donald Burke, who led the development of FRED, says that he hopes this “fact-based tool will help people understand the importance of immunization.”
FRED was funded in part by the National Institutes of Health under grant U54GM088491.
. The coverage for measles varies by state, ranging from 81 to 99 percent.
Planned versions of FRED Measles will allow users to change vaccination rates and also to explore the effects of school closures on disease spread.
Pitt’s Donald Burke, who led the development of FRED, says that he hopes this “fact-based tool will help people understand the importance of immunization.”
FRED was funded in part by the National Institutes of Health under grant U54GM088491.