Plagued by numbers: the mathematics of disease
- Date: 12/04/2006
Mark Lewis (University of Alberta)
University of British Columbia
The dynamics of disease have long fascinated mathematical researchers.
From influenza to the bubonic plague, mathematical and computational
models are used to evaluate factors governing disease outbreaks. Facts
about a disease are put into models. What come out are predictions
regarding infection levels over time. The ultimate goal is to use
models in devising strategies for disease control and management. Much
recent work has focused on predicting dynamics of modern or emerging
diseases, such as HIV/AIDS, SARS and West Nile virus. In the first part
of my talk I will review some of this work and its implications,
particularly in regards to models for West Nile virus and its spatial
spread. I will then discuss recent interdisciplinary work on the
spatial dynamics of naturally occurring parasites on wild salmon,
namely sea lice, the role played by salmon farms in changing those
dynamics for juvenile salmon, and the implications for wild salmon
populations.
10th Anniversary Speaker Series 2006
