Mass action and contact network models for social mixing in infectious disease transmission modeling

The way people interact is crucial to understand the path taken by a disease in order to assess efficient con-tainment strategies, according to Dr. Nele Goeyvaerts. She will link for the first time two different mathematical models to simulate person-to-person disease spread, one assuming people mix completely and randomly and one where each person becomes a node in a contact network. Her innovative approach may help to improve models of epidemic dynamics and produce effective tools for intervention.
My research focuses on dynamic transmission models for infectious diseases. I am currently working on several topics. One study focuses on modeling the decay of maternal antibodies against measles, mumps, rubella and varicella in infants. Further, I am developing a model for household contact networks that can be used in individual-based models of epidemics. It is important to assess how the assumptions about within-household mixing influence the predicted course of an epidemic. Finally, I am developing a transmission model for seasonal influenza to offer guidance for prioritising influenza vaccine target groups in Belgium.