Effect of population density on epidemics

Ruiqi Li, Peter Richmond and Bertrand M. Roehner

Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, 2018, vol. 510, issue C, 713-724

Abstract: Investigations of possible links between population density and the propagation and magnitude of epidemics have so far proved inconclusive. There are three possible reasons (i) A lack of focus on appropriate density intervals. (ii) For the density to be a meaningful variable the population must be distributed as uniformly as possible. If an area has towns and cities where a majority of the population is concentrated its average density is meaningless. (iii) In propagation of an epidemic the initial proportion of susceptibles (persons who have not developed an immunity) is an essential, yet usually unknown, factor. The assumption that most of the population is susceptible holds only for new strains of diseases.

Keywords: Epidemic; Propagation; Population density; Kermack and mcKendrick model (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (27)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:phsmap:v:510:y:2018:i:c:p:713-724

DOI: 10.1016/j.physa.2018.07.025

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