Improving epidemic control strategies by extended detection

Citation

Karp P, Dybiec B & Kleczkowski A (2014) Improving epidemic control strategies by extended detection. International Journal of Modern Physics C, 25 (4), Art. No.: 1350106. https://doi.org/10.1142/S0129183113501064

Abstract
The majority of epidemics eradication programs work in a preventive responsive way. The lack of exact information about the epidemiological status of individuals makes responsive actions less efficient. Here, we demonstrate that additional tests can significantly increase the efficiency of “blind” treatment (vaccination or culling). Eradication strategy consisting of “blind” treatment in very limited local neighbourhood supplemented by extra tests in a little bit larger neighbourhood is able to prevent invasion of even highly infectious diseases and to achieve this at a cost lower than for the “blind” strategy. The effectiveness of the extended strategy depends on such parameters as the test efficiency and test cost.

Keywords
Epidemiological modeling; disease spread; stochastic modeling; epidemiological control

Journal
International Journal of Modern Physics C: Volume 25, Issue 4