Jillian Terrell
Pronouns: She/her(s)
Research Mentor(s): Kevin Bakker, Assistant Research Scientist
Research Mentor School/College/Department: Epidemiology, School of Public Health
Presentation Date: Thursday, April 22, 2021
Session: Session 3 (1pm-1:50pm)
Breakout Room: Room 13
Presenter: 3
Abstract
Although the United States has come very close to eliminating measles cases through widespread vaccination, measles outbreaks still occur in many low and middle income (LMIC) countries where vaccine distribution is more complex. The World Health Organization (WHO) has collected historical clinical case report data of measles across the globe for almost a century, but has yet to closely examine these data across time and space to identify the seasonal transmission dynamics of the virus and identify the factors responsible for these patterns. In our study, we analyzed monthly measles cases reported to the WHO from 1948-1977 across the world. This data was found in print documents and scanned into PDF format to be digitized using optical character recognition software. Next, it was assembled and organized into CSV format to be analyzed in R using wavelet analyses and general additive models for visualization purposes. We expect to find seasonal patterns in measles outbreaks for each location studied. Hopefully, we will be able to find correlations between case numbers and risk factors so that action can be taken to reduce further outbreaks. If we know seasonality in each location, we could optimize the timing of vaccination campaigns to maximally reduce potential cases, improving the health of individuals and achieving the goals of health experts.
Authors: Jillian Terrell, Clare Dougherty, Kevin Bakker
Research Method: Data Collection and Analysis
