West Nile Virus system dynamics investigation in Dallas County, TX

Abstract

After its first introduction in 1999, West Nile Virus (WNV) has spread very widely along the east coasts of the United States before appearing in Texas where 1792 cases were reported of which 82 were fatal in 2012. The interesting patterns and behavior of the virus and its amplified impact on the county of Dallas drove this work. This paper encompasses a thorough development of a systems dynamics simulation model that imitates the virus's infectious behavior and dynamics in Dallas County, TX utilizing historical data collected and the aid of suitable software packages.