Lauren Childs, Virginia Tech, Modeling the waning and boosting of immunity: A case study of pertussis in Sweden
Pertussis, commonly known as whooping cough, is caused by the bacterial pathogen Bordetella pertussis. Completely susceptible individuals experience severe disease, with the hallmark whooping cough, but those with partial immunity have milder, if any symptoms. Immunity following natural infection (or immunization) may wane, increasing susceptibility with time since exposure. In this talk, we begin by examining…