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October 2, 2009
On its new Flu
101 website, MIT Center
for Engineering Systems Fundamentals (CESF) presents
new research results and educational materials related to
planning for and responding to the H1N1 flu pandemic. Designed
to be a resource for both researchers and the general public,
the site includes research papers, an interactive map tracking
the spread of influenza, a video lesson on the mathematics
of flu, and a variety of additional resources and links.
The site takes an interdisciplinary approach, using the
perspectives of operations researchers, physicians, historians,
and others to take a thorough look at how to tackle the
complex challenge of containing pandemic flu.
“The H1N1 vaccine is still at least
a month away for most people, but the H1N1 flu virus is
here now among us,” says Dr. Richard C. Larson, Mitsui
Professor of Engineering Systems at MIT and CESF Director.
“We need to look at our alternatives, as individuals
and communities. We believe that there are behavioral actions
that can be implemented now to reduce the prevalence of
influenza infection.”
Recognizing his research on pandemic influenza
and health care systems analysis, upon invitation Larson
has joined the Board on Health Sciences Policy of the Institute
of Medicine (IOM) and also the IOM Standing Committee on
Emergency Management and Medical Response Integration. He
was recently invited to the White House to confer on flu
preparedness and response.
The site focuses on non-pharmaceutical interventions
(NPIs)—including social distancing (frequency of human
contacts) and hygienic behavioral changes (frequent hand-washing,
coughing into one’s sleeve) —that can reduce
the transmission rate and severity of infectious diseases.
The interactive learning video on the site,
Flu Math Games, aimed at high school mathematics
classes. This video lesson shows students that math can
play a role in understanding how an infectious disease like
the flu spreads and how it can be controlled. During this
lesson, students will see and use mathematical models and
will learn by doing through role-playing exercises. The
video teachers are MIT Professor Richard Larson, MIT graduate
student Sahar Hashmi (MD), and Wellesley College senior
Mai Perches. The video also includes a cartoon character,
Dr. NPI, the initials corresponding to Non-Pharmaceutical
Interventions. The learning video is part of MIT’s
high school educational project called BLOSSOMS,
Blended Learning Open Source Science or Math Studies.
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