CHIKV challenge asks teams to forecast the spread of infectious disease
Monday, August 18, 2014 - 10:20
in Mathematics & Economics
The Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is on the move. Spread among humans by mosquitoes, and spread across geographic boundaries by humans who travel, the virus—which causes a debilitating illness—is now expanding through the Western Hemisphere. Governments and health organizations could take proactive steps to limit its spread if they had accurate forecasts of where and when it would appear. DARPA's CHIKV Challenge asks teams to create models to deliver such forecasts for all of the countries and territories in the Americas and the Caribbean over a six-month period starting in September 2014. The winning team will take home $150,000, with additional cash prizes for runners-up.