Modeling Disease Spread

This interactive module can be used to model infectious disease spread in a population using the SIR model. It includes background on the components of the SIR model and factors that affect the spread of disease, as well as two simulators for modeling disease spread on different scales. 

The Click & Learn contains the following main sections:

• Introduction: Provides background on infectious diseases and how they spread.
• SIR Model Basics: Discusses the basic components of the SIR model. Also includes the “Outbreak Simulator” (and an accompanying tutorial), which can be used to simulate disease spread in a small population, collect data, and build a graph.
• SIR Model Advanced: Discusses mathematical equations for the SIR model and additional factors that affect the spread of disease. Also includes the “Epidemic Simulator”, which can be used to simulate disease spread in a large population, calculate certain metrics, and generate graphs.

An accompanying worksheet guides students’ exploration. Additional information related to pedagogy and implementation can be found in the “Educator Materials.”

The “Resource Google Folder” link directs to a Google Drive folder of resource documents in the Google Docs format. Not all downloadable documents for the resource may be available in this format. The Google Drive folder is set as “View Only”; to save a copy of a document in this folder to your Google Drive, open that document, then select File → “Make a copy.” These documents can be copied, modified, and distributed online following the Terms of Use listed in the “Details” section below, including crediting BioInteractive.