Herd Immunity and the Necessity of Vaccinations: Modeling the Effects of MMR Vaccinations

Presenter Information

Caitlyn Cardetti, Minnesota State University, MankatoFollow
Katie Groskreutz, Minnesota State University, Mankato
Melissa Zins, Minnesota State University, Mankato

Location

CSU 284A

Start Date

6-4-2010 10:00 AM

End Date

6-4-2010 12:00 PM

Student's Major

Biological Sciences, Mathematics and Statistics

Student's College

Science, Engineering and Technology

Mentor's Name

Anne-Marie Hoskinson

Mentor's Department

Biological Sciences

Mentor's College

Science, Engineering and Technology

Second Mentor's Name

Namyong Lee

Second Mentor's Department

Mathematics and Statistics

Second Mentor's College

Science, Engineering and Technology

Description

The MMR vaccination is a two dose vaccine given to children between the ages of 12 – 15 months and the second dose between the ages of 4 – 6 years to prevent measles, mumps, and rubella. The objective was to mathematically model the effects of the MMR vaccinations in a hypothetical school through multiple compartment and spatial models. These models were based on each disease individually with their respective vaccine effectiveness and disease infection rates. These models demonstrated the limits of herd immunity.

Herd immunity occurs when a high enough percentage of the population is immune or vaccinated to prevent the spread of diseases to those who are susceptible. Once herd immunity was determined, the necessity of the vaccinations became evident. This model demonstrated the effects of not vaccinating a child and how it affected not only the individual but the whole population. Through this, parents, educators, and public health officials can be educated on the importance of getting children vaccinated.