{"49952":{"#nid":"49952","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Operations Researchers Predict Path of Pandemics","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EUsing math and computer science, ISyE engineers created a model to forecast the progression of a future pandemic. They looked at the way diseases spread to new people and over distances in order to prepare for future emergencies. The model allows researchers to design the best way to distribute food and vaccines to those in need, as well as the optimum locations and staffing for clinics that would respond.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\n\/\/  0){ var desc = plugins[\u0022Shockwave Flash\u0022] ? plugins[\u0022Shockwave Flash\u0022].description : \u0022\u0022; desc = plugins[\u0022Shockwave Flash 2.0\u0022] ? plugins[\u0022Shockwave Flash 2.0\u0022].description : desc; if (desc == \u0022\u0022) flashVer = -1; else{ var descArr = desc.split(\u0022 \u0022); var tempArrMajor = descArr[2].split(\u0022.\u0022); var verMajor = tempArrMajor[0]; var tempArrMinor = (descArr[3] != \u0022\u0022) ? descArr[3].split(\u0022r\u0022) : descArr[4].split(\u0022r\u0022); var verMinor = (tempArrMinor[1] \u0026gt; 0) ? tempArrMinor[1] : 0; flashVer =  parseFloat(verMajor + \u0022.\u0022 + verMinor); } } \/\/ WebTV has Flash Player 4 or lower -- too low for video else if (userAgent.toLowerCase().indexOf(\u0022webtv\u0022) != -1) flashVer = 4.0; var verArr = reqVerStr.split(\u0022,\u0022); var reqVer = parseFloat(verArr[0] + \u0022.\u0022 + verArr[2]); if (flashVer \u0026lt; reqVer){ if (confirm(msg)) window.location = \u0022http:\/\/www.adobe.com\/shockwave\/download\/download.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash\u0022; } } }  }\n\/\/ ]]\u0026gt;\/\/ \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n       \u003Cp\u003E \n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EReported August 2008\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nATLANTA, Ga. (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- In 1918 and 1919, more than a half-a-million Americans died in a huge flu pandemic. We\u0027ve had other flu outbreaks since, and now, illnesses like bird flu and SARs have raised concerns that another pandemic may be coming. Though we can\u0027t know for sure when it will hit, or how severe it will be, a new kind of planning tool may help us prepare for the worst.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ECollege professor John Bugge spends a lot of time riding his bike. Preparing for a pandemic? Not so much. \u0022I guess I would have to say I\u0027m a unprepared as anybody else,* John Bugge, professor at Georgia Tech in Atlanta, Ga., explained.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIt happened in 1918, a huge flu outbreak that spread worldwide. Could it happen again in our time?\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAt Georgia Tech\u0027s Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering, researchers say the threat of a modern pandemic is very real. \u0022I would like to say we don\u0027t have to plan for it, but the truth is, we expect that it\u0027s coming, it\u0027s just a matter of when it comes,* Julie Swann, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Industrial and Systems Engineering at Georgia Tech, told Ivanhoe.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ENow, operations researchers have developed a mathematical model that uses Georgia census data, to track a pandemic before it actually hits. This model can predict when and where the pandemic would spread.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022What\u0027s different about the research that we\u0027re doing is it really looks at the aspects that relate to the spread of the disease over time and over geography,* Dr. Swann said.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe model can also be used for distributing food and vaccine, so providers can plan ahead. \u0022For example if you\u0027re interested in opening food distribution facilities, depending on the number of infected people it will tell you where you should open facilities where you should close them, and how you should allocate your resources,* Pinar Keskinocak, Ph.D., Operations researcher at H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering at Georgia Tech., told Ivanhoe.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EUnderstanding a pandemic before it hits. It could help ensure we all get the help and medicine we need to survive.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EUsing math and computer science, ISyE engineers created a model to forecast the progression of a future pandemic. They looked at the way diseases spread to new people and over distances in order to prepare for future emergencies. The model allows researchers to design the best way to distribute food and vaccines to those in need, as well as the optimum locations and staffing for clinics that would respond.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Operations Researchers Predict Path of Pandemics"}],"uid":"27279","created_gmt":"2008-08-27 00:00:00","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:03:56","author":"Barbara Christopher","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2008-08-27T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2008-08-27T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"49953":{"id":"49953","type":"image","title":"Research Team","body":null,"created":"1449175360","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 20:42:40","changed":"1475894449","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:40:49","alt":"Research Team","file":{"fid":"126944","name":"tqq25670.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/tqq25670_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/tqq25670_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":82904,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/tqq25670_0.jpg?itok=Y0ffrX9e"}}},"media_ids":["49953"],"groups":[{"id":"1242","name":"School of Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISYE)"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"},{"id":"134","name":"Student and Faculty"}],"keywords":[{"id":"7950","name":"emergencies"},{"id":"7949","name":"flu pandemic"},{"id":"398","name":"health"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBarbara Christopher\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIndustrial and Systems Engineering\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.gatech.edu\/contact\/index.html?id=bt3\u0022\u003EContact Barbara Christopher\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E404.385.3102\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["bchristopher@isye.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}