Another method for eliminating measles was needed. Lora Billings and her coworkers have contributed to finding a better method for the elimination of measles by creating an accurate model of the measles epidemic. The mathematical model of the measles epidemic can predict what will happen with added parameters through simulation instead of real life experimentation. A vaccination parameter can be added to the model, which will yield the best way to accomplish the goal of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. This model also applies to other diseases that you can only contract once, such as mumps, chicken pox, whooping cough, and rubella.
Similar models have even wider applications outside of the medical field.
For example, Lora Billings is now working on a model to capture the behavior of computer viruses. Lora Billings' work demonstrates the importance of mathematics and mathematical modeling in a variety of situations affecting us all. This web page was created by Carolyn Robinson , Carolyn Cotterman , and Meredith Maltese for the Duke University Advance Program.