A Comparison of Agent-Based Models and Equation Based Models for Infectious Disease Epidemiology

• DOI: 10.21427/rtq2-hs52
• Publication Date: 2018-01-01
• Authors: Elizabeth Hunter; Brian Mac Namee; John D. Kelleher
• Keywords: Agent-based model; 03 medical and health sciences; 0302 clinical medicine; Virus Diseases; infectious disease; Disease Modeling; equation-based model; 3. Good health

There are two main methods that are used to model the spread of an infectious disease: agent-based modelling and equation based modelling. In this paper, we compare the results from an example implementation of each method, and show that although the agent-based model takes longer to setup and run, it provides additional information that is not available when using an equation based model. Specifically, the ability of the agent-based model to capture heterogeneous mixing and agent interactions enables it to give a better overall view of an outbreak. We compare the performance of both models by simulating a measles outbreak in 33 different Irish towns and measuring the outcomes of this outbreak.