Modelling challenges in context: Lessons from malaria, HIV, and tuberculosis

Malaria, HIV, and tuberculosis (TB) collectively account for several million deaths each year, with all three ranking among the top ten killers in low-income countries. Despite being caused by very different organisms, malaria, HIV, and TB present a suite of challenges for mathematical modellers th...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Lauren M. Childs, Nadia N. Abuelezam, Christopher Dye, Sunetra Gupta, Megan B. Murray, Brian G. Williams, Caroline O. Buckee
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2015-03-01
Series:Epidemics
Subjects:
HIV
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1755436515000079
Description
Summary:Malaria, HIV, and tuberculosis (TB) collectively account for several million deaths each year, with all three ranking among the top ten killers in low-income countries. Despite being caused by very different organisms, malaria, HIV, and TB present a suite of challenges for mathematical modellers that are particularly pronounced in these infections, but represent general problems in infectious disease modelling, and highlight many of the challenges described throughout this issue. Here, we describe some of the unifying challenges that arise in modelling malaria, HIV, and TB, including variation in dynamics within the host, diversity in the pathogen, and heterogeneity in human contact networks and behaviour. Through the lens of these three pathogens, we provide specific examples of the other challenges in this issue and discuss their implications for informing public health efforts.
ISSN:1755-4365
1878-0067