Germ games on networks – bioeconomic modelling of disease spread, a talk by Professor Adam Kleczkowski (University of Strathclyde)
Abstract
We live in a time of unprecedented pressures on our health and food production. A ‘perfect storm’ of biological, environmental and socio-economic factors enables new diseases and pests to emerge and spread. Mathematical models have extensively been used to understand, predict and control outbreaks of infectious diseases of humans, animals and plants. However, a gap has emerged because of the lack of approaches that explicitly take into account how individual and corporate decisions either enable the infection process or help to control it. In this talk, I will briefly introduce the basic epidemiological model and show how it can be modified to incorporate human behaviour in response to their beliefs about the disease risks. The network models will then be introduced to include the heterogeneity of contacts. I will then comment on the experimental evidence and review the policy recommendations based on the modelling results.
No charge is made to attend meetings; non-IMA members are welcome.
