The role of schools in the spread of certain contagious diseases according to diffusion theory

This work examines empirical evidence of the mechanism by which elementary schools acted as diffusion agencies during a circumscribed epidemic of variola minor, the mild form of smallpox. The period during which those ‘diffusion agencies’ operated was well characterized in time, space, persons and number of attacks. The epidemic had originated from a single importation into a Brazilian community. Analogies between Lawrence A. Brown's conceptualization of ‘propagator-supported diffusion of innovations’ and the role of day schools in the spread of an epidemic were revealed. This role had clear analogs in the following subprocesses of the propagator-supported diffusion of innovations: ‘establishment of diffusion agencies’, ‘establishment of a system of diffusing agencies’, ‘agency supply shed’, ‘polynuclear subprocesses of a propagator-supported diffusion’. ‘establishment of the innovation itself’, ‘promotional communications employed to persuade individuals to adopt the innovation’, ‘level of information about the innovation’, ‘market price’, ‘the potential adopter's need or desire for the innovation’. However, ‘distance from agency’ was not operative, apparently because of the compulsory enrollment of pupils in the area school.