Simulating the spread of contagious illness within a controlled environment

Abstract

Mankind has always been striving to live longer. Throughout the ages, mankind has researched methods to control and reduce illnesses which from time to time spread around the globe. Spread of illnesses is known to happen in hospitals which may in turn then spread in the community. From an investigation by Varia et al (2003) on the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in Torondo, Canada, the following is the way such outbreak commenced, "Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) was introduced into Canada by a visitor to Hong Kong who returned to Toronto on Feb. 23, 2003. Transmission to a family member, who was later admitted to a community hospital in Toronto, led to a large nosocomial outbreak. 128 cases were associated with this hospital outbreak out of which seventeen deaths were reported". Despite the fact that several good work practices are adopted in hospitals by the medical staff to reduce the spread of illnesses, nosocomial outreak, meaning oringinating or taking place in a hospital, still happens. This Final Year Project aims to review the spread of illnesses within a controlled environment, such as a hospital ward, and develop a simulation tool which can be used to predict the way an illness can spread within an environment when a patient with such a contagious condition enters the space under consideration. Additionally RFID technology is detailed as the technology which can be used to track the persons within the controlled environment in real time. Hence in combination with the contagious illness spread simulation, the estimation and severity of the illness spread can be calculated in real time and accordingly actions can be taken in order to control this spread.