Modelling disease spread through random and regular contacts in clustered populations.
Eames, KTD;
(2008)
Modelling disease spread through random and regular contacts in clustered populations.
Theoretical population biology, 73 (1).
pp. 104-111.
ISSN 0040-5809
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tpb.2007.09.007
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An epidemic spreading through a network of regular, repeated, contacts behaves differently from one that is spread by random interactions: regular contacts serve to reduce the speed and eventual size of an epidemic. This paper uses a mathematical model to explore the difference between regular and random contacts, considering particularly the effect of clustering within the contact network. In a clustered population random contacts have a much greater impact, allowing infection to reach parts of the network that would otherwise be inaccessible. When all contacts are regular, clustering greatly reduces the spread of infection; this effect is negated by a small number of random contacts.