Socially structured human movement shapes dengue transmission despite the diffusive effect of mosquito dispersal.

ABSTRACT: For sexually and directly transmitted infectious diseases, social connections influence transmission because they determine contact between individuals. For pathogens that are indirectly transmitted by arthropod vectors, the movement of the vectors is thought to diminish the role of social connections. Results from a recent study of mosquito-borne dengue virus (DENV), however, indicate that human movement alone can explain significant spatial variation in urban transmission rates. Because movement patterns are structured by social ties, this result suggests that social proximity may be a good predictor of infection risk for DENV and other pathogens transmitted by the mosquito Aedes aegypti. Here we investigated the effect of socially structured movement on DENV transmission using a spatial

SUBMITTER: Reiner RC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3971836 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature