Pellis Lorenzo, Ball Frank, Bansal Shweta, Eames Ken, House Thomas, Isham Valerie, Trapman Pieter
Warwick Infectious Disease Epidemiology Research Centre (WIDER) and Warwick Mathematics Institute, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK.
School of Mathematical Sciences, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK.
Epidemics. 2015 Mar;10:58-62. doi: 10.1016/j.epidem.2014.07.003. Epub 2014 Aug 4.
Networks offer a fertile framework for studying the spread of infection in human and animal populations. However, owing to the inherent high-dimensionality of networks themselves, modelling transmission through networks is mathematically and computationally challenging. Even the simplest network epidemic models present unanswered questions. Attempts to improve the practical usefulness of network models by including realistic features of contact networks and of host-pathogen biology (e.g. waning immunity) have made some progress, but robust analytical results remain scarce. A more general theory is needed to understand the impact of network structure on the dynamics and control of infection. Here we identify a set of challenges that provide scope for active research in the field of network epidemic models.
网络为研究感染在人类和动物群体中的传播提供了一个富有成效的框架。然而，由于网络本身固有的高维度特性，通过网络对传播进行建模在数学和计算方面都具有挑战性。即使是最简单的网络流行病模型也存在尚未解决的问题。通过纳入接触网络和宿主-病原体生物学的现实特征（如免疫力减弱）来提高网络模型实际效用的尝试已经取得了一些进展，但可靠的分析结果仍然很少。需要一个更通用的理论来理解网络结构对感染动态和控制的影响。在这里，我们确定了一系列挑战，这些挑战为网络流行病模型领域的积极研究提供了空间。
