Epidemics on networks
Epidemics on networks
An introduction to the theory of the epidemic processes by which diseases spread over networks of contact between humans, animals, plants, and even computers
One of the reasons for the large investment the scientific community has made in the study of social networks is their connection with the spread of disease. Diseases spread over networks of contacts between individuals: airborne diseases like influenza or tuberculosis are communicated when two people breathe the air in the same room; contagious diseases and parasites can be communicated when people touch; HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases are communicated when people have sex. The patterns of such contacts can be represented as networks and a good deal of effort has been devoted to empirical studies of these networks' structure. This chapter looks at the connections between network structure and disease dynamics and at mathematical theories that allow us to understand and predict the outcomes of epidemics. Exercises are provided at the end of the chapter.
Keywords: disease spread, network structure, disease dynamics, epidemic models, infection
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