title: SIS epidemics with household structure: the self-consistent field method.
abstract: We consider a stochastic SIS infection model for a population partitioned into m households assuming random mixing. We solve the model in the limit m --> infinity by using the self-consistent field method of statistical physics. We derive a number of explicit results, and give numerical illustrations. We then do numerical simulations of the model for finite m and without random mixing. We find in many of these cases that the self-consistent field method is a very good approximation.
authors.affiliation: Michigan Center for Theoretical Physics, Department of Physics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1120, USA.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ghoshal
authors.forename: L M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Sander
authors.forename: I M
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Sokolov
mesh_terms: D019353:Endemic Diseases; D005191:Family Characteristics; D006801:Humans; D008954:Models, Biological; D009716:Numerical Analysis, Computer-Assisted; D011153:Population; D011336:Probability; D013269:Stochastic Processes