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Increased frequency of travel may act to decrease the chance of a global pandemic

R.N. Thompson, C.P. Thompson, O. Pelerman, S. Gupta, U. Obolski
doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/404871
R.N. Thompson
1Mathematical Institute, University of Oxford, Andrew Wiles Building, Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, Woodstock Road, Oxford OX2 6GG, UK
2Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK
3Christ Church, University of Oxford, St Aldate’s, Oxford OX1 1DP, UK
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  • For correspondence: robin.thompson@chch.ox.ac.uk uri.obolski@zoo.ox.ac.uk
C.P. Thompson
2Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK
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O. Pelerman
4The Chaim Rosenberg School of Jewish Studies, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel
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S. Gupta
2Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK
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U. Obolski
2Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK
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  • For correspondence: robin.thompson@chch.ox.ac.uk uri.obolski@zoo.ox.ac.uk
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ABSTRACT

The high frequency of modern travel has led to concerns about a devastating pandemic since a lethal pathogen strain could spread worldwide quickly. Many historical pandemics have arisen following pathogen evolution to a more virulent form. However, some pathogen strains invoke immune responses that provide partial cross-immunity against infection with related strains. Here, we consider a mathematical model of successive outbreaks of two strains – a low virulence strain outbreak followed by a high virulence strain outbreak. Under these circumstances, we investigate the impacts of varying travel rates and cross-immunity on the probability that a major epidemic of the high virulence strain occurs, and the size of that outbreak. Frequent travel between subpopulations can lead to widespread immunity to the high virulence strain, driven by exposure to the low virulence strain. As a result, major epidemics of the high virulence strain are less likely, and can potentially be smaller, with more connected subpopulations. Cross-immunity may be a factor contributing to the absence of a global pandemic as severe as the 1918 influenza pandemic in the century since.

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The copyright holder for this preprint is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. All rights reserved. No reuse allowed without permission.
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Posted August 31, 2018.
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Increased frequency of travel may act to decrease the chance of a global pandemic
R.N. Thompson, C.P. Thompson, O. Pelerman, S. Gupta, U. Obolski
bioRxiv 404871; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/404871
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Increased frequency of travel may act to decrease the chance of a global pandemic
R.N. Thompson, C.P. Thompson, O. Pelerman, S. Gupta, U. Obolski
bioRxiv 404871; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/404871

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