Farrington, C. Paddy and Whitaker, Heather J.
(2005).
| DOI (Digital Object Identifier) Link: | http://doi.org/10.1198/016214504000001754 |
|---|---|
| Google Scholar: | Look up in Google Scholar |
Abstract
Controlling of infectious diseases requires information about the rates at which individuals make contact. We propose a novel approach to modeling contact rates via a continuous contact surface. This provides a more realistic and flexible representation of contact rates than currently used methods. Our approach allows modeling of sources of heterogeneity due to age, individual effects, and gender. The models are fitted to serologic survey data by maximum likelihood. This involves solving an integral equation linking the contact surface to the infection hazards. The method is illustrated with two datasets, on mumps and rubella and on Epstein–Barr virus and herpes simplex virus type 1 infection. The advantages and shortcomings of the method, particularly the identifiability of the contact surface, are discussed.
| Item Type: | Journal Article |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 1537-274X |
| Keywords: | Epidemiology; Equilibrium; Frailty; Heterogeneity; Maximum Likelihood |
| Academic Unit/Department: | Faculty of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) > Mathematics and Statistics Faculty of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) |
| Item ID: | 2273 |
| Depositing User: | Heather Whitaker |
| Date Deposited: | 12 Jun 2006 |
| Last Modified: | 02 Aug 2016 12:52 |
| URI: | http://oro.open.ac.uk/id/eprint/2273 |
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