Frequently Asked Questions

I downloaded and installed FluImpact a couple weeks ago, and now the software won't run. FluImpact comes with a Trial License which expires 15 calendar days after you first run FluImpact. After the Trial License expires you must upgrade to a regular FluImpact License Key in order to continue using the application.

I'm having trouble entering my License Key. When you purchase a FluImpact License Key, we send you an email containing your License Key code. When you enter this into the Software Licensing interface in FluImpact, please be sure you copy and paste the entire key code without any extra characters. If re-entering your FluImpact License Key as directed above does not clear the warning messages, please contact MathEcology for support.

How can I make sure I have the newest version of FluImpact? If your computer is connected to the internet, when you open FluImpact the application automatically checks to see if a newer version or update is currently available. To download the most up-to-date version of FluImpact, please visit our Download page.

I just defined a new group / subpopulation and now it's gone. After you have made changes to groups or subpopulations within the Population Definitions interfaces, be sure to click Add/Save in order to avoid loss of data. If you do not click Add/Save and simply click on the Update or Cancel buttons, any changes you have made will be lost.

Why can't I delete one of the groups? In order to prevent accidental deletions, FluImpact will not allow you to delete any group which currently has a subpopulation assigned to it. If you wish to delete a group which does have subpopulations, delete these subpopulations first within the Subpopulation Definitions interface, and then go back to the Group Definitions interface to delete the corresponding group.

How are the contact matrix values calculated? The FluImpact contact matrix provides inter- and intra-subpopulation contact rates for all the subpopulations you have defined in the Subpopulation Definitions. The contact matrix values are calculated based upon the overall contact rates you define in the Subpopulation Definitions, as well as the total number of individuals within each subpopulation.

How is vaccine uptake modeled? Can I change it? Individuals within FluImpact subpopulations are able to receive prophylactic vaccination to protect them against influenza, based on the 1st and 2nd dose coverage rates you define in the scenario parameters. FluImpact’s model assumes that two doses of vaccine, spaced a month apart, are necessary to provide the maximum protection against infection, as defined by the vaccine efficacy you establish, and that partial protection is offered by receiving just a single dose. Since it is assumed that vaccinations are not able to be delivered instantaneously to the entire population, and that public demand for vaccination may change over time for the duration of the flu season, vaccination uptake within FluImpact is modeled as a standard lognormal distribution. This function is not editable in the current version of FluImpact 2007, though this feature and many others can be customized for you. For more information please visit our Customizations page.

I just made changes to a subpopulation in my scenario, and now they're gone. A scenario within FluImpact consists of vaccination coverage, disease exposure and infection parameters for each subpopulation, which you define within the Add New Scenario interface. After you have made any changes, to confirm your new sub-population scenario parameters be sure to click Save in order to avoid loss of data, before editing fields for additional sub-populations. To cancel your changes click Withdraw.

I just set up a scenario. Why can't I access the groups and subpopulations now? In order to prevent accidental changes, once scenarios have been defined FluImpact no longer allows you to edit group and subpopulation parameters as the defined groups and subpopulations may currently be in use by one or more scenarios. You may still, however, edit the values in the Contact Matrix at any time, and many of the subpopulation parameters are directly editable for each scenario within the Add New Scenario interface. If you wish to change values within the Group Definitions or Subpopulation Definitions, you must first delete all defined scenarios. This will re-enable all Population Definitions interfaces.

I can't see any output on my graphs. In order for a simulated outbreak to occur in FluImpact, the simulation must be "seeded" within a scenario by establishing one or more exposed and/or infected individuals within the defined subpopulations. Without having someone initially carrying the flu, no one else within the simulation will be able to become infected. Please check your defined scenarios to confirm there is at least one person exposed or infected from at least one subpopulation.

I have multiple scenarios set up, but I can't see some of them. FluImpact scenarios are assigned Visibility Checkboxes: check the visibility checkbox to show the selected scenario on the graphs to the right; leave unchecked to hide it. Unchecking the checkbox does not remove the scenario data from the FluImpact session, but rather omits the plot from the graph. If one of the scenarios doesn’t seem to show up on the graph (and the scenario’s visibility checkbox is checked in the Scenario Controls), try unchecking other scenarios. If a scenario with very large values is plotted along with a scenario with very small values, the smaller values can be so close to the horizontal axis (relatively speaking) that they appear to be missing. If the scenario still does not show up on the graph, it is possible that the values to be displayed are all zero; to confirm this you can export the data for this scenario and graph.

How can I graph output for a specific group? The Graph Controls within FluImpact allow you to customize the information being plotted. The Display Group drop-down list allows you to select which group's data you would like to see. To select a single subpopulation from the chosen group, click on the appropriate subpopulation name in the Display Subpopulation drop-down list. To view output for the group as a whole, click the All Sub-Populations Within Chosen Group checkbox, select your graph from the Display Graph drop-down list and click Graph.

How can I graph output for the entire population? The Graph Controls within FluImpact allow you to customize the information being plotted. The All Groups checkbox allows you to choose any defined subpopulation assigned to any of the groups. Clicking both the All Groups and the All Sub-Populations Within Chosen Group checkboxes allows you to view output for the entire population as a whole.

FluImpact Support Information

Before contacting Support, please read all application help documentation and all troubleshooting or application Known Bug documentation regarding the function or process in question.

Support for FluImpact is available at:

When contacting Support please provide a detailed explanation of the issue and the Software Support information listed in the Support window under the Help menu, including FluImpact Version number, FID Version number and Serial Number.