Individual preventive social distancing during an epidemic may have negative population-level outcomes.

ABSTRACT: The outbreak of an infectious disease in a human population can lead to individuals responding with preventive measures in an attempt to avoid getting infected. This leads to changes in contact patterns. However, as we show in this paper, rational behaviour at the individual level, such as social distancing from infectious contacts, may not always be beneficial for the population as a whole. We use epidemic network models to demonstrate the potential negative consequences at the population level. We take into account the social structure of the population through several network models. As the epidemic evolves, susceptible individuals may distance themselves from their infectious contacts. Some individuals replace their lost social connections by seeking new ties. If social distancing occu

SUBMITTER: Leung KY 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6127185 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature