Agent-based evolving network modeling: a new simulation method for modeling low prevalence infectious diseases

Matthew Eden, Rebecca Castonguay, Buyannemekh Munkhbat, Hari Balasubramanian and Chaitra Gopalappa ()
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Matthew Eden: University of Massachusetts Amherst
Rebecca Castonguay: University of Massachusetts Amherst
Buyannemekh Munkhbat: University of Massachusetts Amherst
Hari Balasubramanian: University of Massachusetts Amherst
Chaitra Gopalappa: University of Massachusetts Amherst

Health Care Management Science, 2021, vol. 24, issue 3, No 11, 623-639

Abstract: Abstract Agent-based network modeling (ABNM) simulates each person at the individual-level as agents of the simulation, and uses network generation algorithms to generate the network of contacts between individuals. ABNM are suitable for simulating individual-level dynamics of infectious diseases, especially for diseases such as HIV that spread through close contacts within intricate contact networks. However, as ABNM simulates a scaled-version of the full population, consisting of all infected and susceptible persons, they are computationally infeasible for studying certain questions in low prevalence diseases such as HIV. We present a new simulation technique, agent-based evolving network modeling (ABENM), which includes a new network generation algorithm, Evolving Contact Network Algorithm (ECNA), for generating scale-free networks. ABENM simulates only infected persons and their immediate contacts at the individual-level as agents of the simulation, and uses the ECNA for generating the contact structures between these individuals. All other susceptible persons are modeled using a compartmental modeling structure. Thus, ABENM has a hybrid agent-based and compartmental modeling structure. The ECNA uses concepts from graph theory for generating scale-free networks. Multiple social networks, including sexual partnership networks and needle sharing networks among injecting drug-users, are known to follow a scale-free network structure. Numerical results comparing ABENM with ABNM estimations for disease trajectories of hypothetical diseases transmitted on scale-free contact networks are promising for application to low prevalence diseases.

Keywords: Agent-based simulation; Network modeling; Disease modeling; Scale-free networks (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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DOI: 10.1007/s10729-021-09558-0

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