Abstract
Models that incorporate local and individual interactions are introduced in the context of the transmission dynamics of tuberculosis (TB). The multi-level contact structure implicitly assumes that individuals are at risk of infection from close contacts in generalized household (clusters) as well as from casual (random) contacts in the general population. Epidemiological time scales are used to reduce the dimensionality of the model and singular perturbation methods are used to corroborate the results of time-scale approximations. The concept and impact of optimal average cluster or generalized household size on TB dynamics is discussed. We also discuss the potential impact of our results on the spread of TB.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 187-205 |
Number of pages | 19 |
Journal | Mathematical Biosciences |
Volume | 180 |
Issue number | 1-2 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 2002 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Epidemic models
- Generalized households
- Singular perturbation theory
- Social networks
- Time scales
- Tuberculosis
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Statistics and Probability
- Modeling and Simulation
- Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology(all)
- Immunology and Microbiology(all)
- Agricultural and Biological Sciences(all)
- Applied Mathematics