“Social Mixing and Respiratory Transmission in Schools”
January 8, 2013 | Terry Sharrer
Mote
Annual influenza visitations involve two factors: the strain of the virus, and the traffic pattern in which it moves. Vaccines are prepared for the former, but less is known about how crowding and flow allows sickness to spread. Last November, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh conducted a traffic study with 450 elementary and intermediate school children who wore electronic “motes” that tracked their contact patterns. As one mote came near another, a link was recorded. Researchers are now studying the data, but this model obviously could be directed to viral traffic patterns in hospitals and nursing homes as well. MORE
Image Credit: University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences A mote is an electronic device that tracks children’s interactions with other children.
