Mathematical Modeling of Infectious Diseases

Catalog description

As infectious diseases are transmitted from one host to another, the dynamics of transmission in the population of hosts follow certain basic rules. If one knows and understands these rules, one can plan rational strategies to prevent or control infections. One of the principal tools of those interested in public health interventions to control or ameliorate infectious diseases is the mathematical model. A model is just a means of representing and manipulating something that would not otherwise be accessible. This course provides students with the opportunity to construct models of the transmission of infectious diseases and to use these models to plan or compare disease control strategies. The course is predicated upon the notion that the act of building a mathematical model of disease transmission is often the best way of understanding what is going on. This understanding will be further refined by the examination of more complicated and sophisticated model structures as they appear in the recent published literature. A disproportionate number of emerging infectious diseases and recent disease outbreaks in the United States and elsewhere have shared a common characteristic; they affect veterinary as well as human populations. Many are also vector-borne, passing between different species of hosts through insects and other invertebrates. In some cases, humans are only “spillover hosts” whose infection is incidental to the transmission cycle. Interdisciplinary approaches are especially important to control such diseases. As a particular focus of the course, students will learn the tools needed for successful collaborations to address the growing problem of zoonotic and vector-borne diseases.