Threshold Parameters For A Model Of Epidemic Spread Among Households And Workplaces

Main Category: Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses
Also Included In: Flu / Cold / SARS;  Bird Flu / Avian Flu
Article Date: 02 Mar 2009 - 5:00 PDT

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Directly transmissible diseases (like influenza, SARS, measles, chickenpox, and so on) spread primarily through repeated and more intense contacts occurring among people living in the same household or working together.

Mathematical models which explicitly take into account the presence of households have been studied in the last 15 years. Here we consider a much less studied model which explicitly describes both households and school/workplaces.

For this model, we present a formula for a parameter that represents the average number of households infected by a typical household and highlight the effort required to halt the spread by delivering vaccination to households.

Journal of the Royal Society Interface

Journal of the Royal Society Interface is the Society's cross-disciplinary publication promoting research at the interface between the physical and life sciences. It offers rapidity, visibility and high-quality peer review and is ranked fifth in JCR's multidisciplinary category. The journal also incorporates Interface Focus , a peer-reviewed, themed supplement, each issue of which concentrates on a specific cross-disciplinary subject.

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