In many epidemics, the cumulative number of cases grows exponentially, at least over a limited time. A
Question:
In many epidemics, the cumulative number of cases grows exponentially, at least over a limited time. A recent example is the spread of the influenza A (H1N1) virus, commonly called the swine flu, which affected Mexico and the United States especially. On April 24, 2009, there were 10 cumulative cases of swine flu in the United States reported to the World Health Organization. Over the next two weeks, the number of cases in the United States increased by about 42.3% per day. Assume that this cumulative growth rate continued for the next 40 days.
(a) Write the equation of a function that models the number of cumulative cases of H1N1, P, t days after April 24, 2009. P =
(b) Use your model to estimate the cumulative number of cases of swine flu in the United States on May 24, 2009.
(c) Use your model to estimate the cumulative number of cases of swine flu in the United States on June 3, 2009.