Detail in network models of epidemiology: are we there yet?
Network models of infectious disease epidemiology can potentially provide insight into how to tailor control strategies for specific regions, but only if the network adequately reflects the structure of the region's contact network. Typically, the network is produced by models that incorporate details about human interactions. Each detail added renders the models more complicated and more difficult to calibrate, but also more faithful to the actual contact network structure. We propose a statistical test to determine when sufficient detail has been added to the models and demonstrate its application to the models used to create a synthetic population and contact network for the USA.
Network Dynamics and Simulation Sciences Laboratory, Virginia Bioinformatics Institute at Virginia Tech, 1880 Pratt Dr, Blacksburg, Virginia 24060, USA. seubank@vbi.vt.edu
Stephen
S
Eubank
Christopher
C
Barrett
Richard
R
Beckman
Keith
K
Bisset
Lisa
L
Durbeck
Christopher
C
Kuhlman
Bryan
B
Lewis
Achla
A
Marathe
Madhav
M
Marathe
Paula
P
Stretz
D000465:Algorithms; D003140:Communicable Disease Control; D058872:Epidemics; D004813:Epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D055552:Infectious Disease Medicine / Q000379:methods*; D008954:Models, Biological; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D011157:Population Dynamics; D011634:Public Health / Q000379:methods*; D012944:Social Support