FLIRT-ing with Zika: A web application to predict the movement of infected travelers validated against the current Zika virus epidemic
This publication presents a web application that combines air traffic data and network simulations in order to predict where infectious diseases may spread to and aid in their prevention.
The results from selected time periods support that modeling air travel and passenger movement between South america and the United states can be a powerful tool in predicting where infectious diseases will spread next. As FLIRT was shown to significantly predict distribution of Zika Virus cases in the past, there should be heightened biosurveillance and educational campaigns to medical service providers and the general public in these states, especially in the large metropolitan areas.
PLoS Outbreak, June 2016. This article is published under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 Generic licence.
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