Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2009 Nov 18;9 Suppl 1(Suppl 1):S2.
doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-9-S1-S2.

Mathematical epidemiology is not an oxymoron

Fred Brauer  1
Affiliations

Mathematical epidemiology is not an oxymoron

Fred Brauer. BMC Public Health. .

Abstract

A brief description of the importance of communicable diseases in history and the development of mathematical modelling of disease transmission is given. This includes reasons for mathematical modelling, the history of mathematical modelling from the foundations laid in the late nineteenth century to the present, some of the accomplishments of mathematical modelling, and some challenges for the future. Our purpose is to demonstrate the importance of mathematical modelling for the understanding and management of infectious disease transmission.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Problems and Models. A "flow chart" describing the relationship between scientific problems and models.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. McNeill WH. Plagues and Peoples, Doubleday, New York; 1976.
    1. Smith? RJ. Modelling Disease Ecology with Mathematics. American Institute of Mathematical Sciences, Springfield; 2008.
    1. Kermack WO, McKendrick AG. A contribution to the mathematical theory of epidemics. Proc Royal Soc London. 1927;115:700–721. doi: 10.1098/rspa.1927.0118. - DOI
    1. Bernoulli D. Essai d'une nouvelle analyse de la mortalité causée par la petite vérole. Mém Math Phys Acad Roy Sci Paris. 1760;1:1–45.
    1. En'ko PD. On the course of epidemics of some infectious diseases. Vrach. St. Petersburg; 1889. pp. 1008–1010. 1039-1042, 1061-1063.

Publication types