Positive network assortativity of influenza vaccination at a high school: implications for outbreak risk and herd immunity.

ABSTRACT: Schools are known to play a significant role in the spread of influenza. High vaccination coverage can reduce infectious disease spread within schools and the wider community through vaccine-induced immunity in vaccinated individuals and through the indirect effects afforded by herd immunity. In general, herd immunity is greatest when vaccination coverage is highest, but clusters of unvaccinated individuals can reduce herd immunity. Here, we empirically assess the extent of such clustering by measuring whether vaccinated individuals are randomly distributed or demonstrate positive assortativity across a United States high school contact network. Using computational models based on these empirical measurements, we further assess the impact of assortativity on influenza disease dynamics. We

SUBMITTER: Barclay VC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3914803 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature