484— Modeling Social Distancing Methods and Their Effectiveness in Combating the Spread of Ebola

Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) is a rare but severe disease that is transmitted among humans through direct-contact with, and close proximity to, infected bodily fluids. From 2014-16, West Africa experienced the largest Ebola outbreak ever recorded, infecting over 28,000 people, and killing over 11,000. Although the symptoms of EVD are treatable, the disease can be extremely deadly, with an average of 50% EVD cases resulting in fatality. In areas where healthcare is scarce and vaccinations are not readily available, the practices of social distancing and self-quarantining have been shown to be highly effective in combating the spread of EVD. To evaluate the effects of social distancing and quarantining on the spread of EVD through a population, a small-world network-based model was implemented. The model population was evaluated to determine the most beneficial method of quarantine. Our study indicates self-quarantine to be an extremely effective method in combating the spread of EVD, as it greatly reduces the amount of contact between individuals in a population. Through limiting the amount of hospitalizations and resulting EVD deaths, the burden that healthcare systems typically experience due to such outbreaks can be significantly lessened.