Engineering Effective Response to Outbreaks of Influenza

Allocation of vaccines and deployment of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) are critical to controlling influenza. We examine how these policies can minimize the societal impact through an engineering systems framing and modeling approach that incorporates theories and data on the spread of influenza. Our models employed data from the CDC and state governments on cases and vaccine administered during the 2009 H1N1 outbreak, and published literature on how to reduce human-to-human contacts.