Hostname: page-component-77c89778f8-n9wrp Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-17T06:26:35.507Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Optimal immunisation policies for epidemics

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 July 2016

Andris Abakuks*
Affiliation:
University of Sussex

Abstract

Policies of immunising the susceptibles in the general stochastic epidemic are considered. With costs assigned to the infection and immunisation of susceptibles, an optimal policy is found which at any stage minimises the expected future cost. Optimal policies are also found for the general deterministic epidemic and for an epidemic with carriers model. The three policies are compared and numerical examples are provided. An optimal policy is described in the situation when both isolation of infectives and immunisation of susceptibles are allowed.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Applied Probability Trust 1974 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Abakuks, A (1972) Some optimal isolation and immunisation policies for epidemics. , University of Sussex.Google Scholar
Abakuks, A (1973) An optimal isolation policy for an epidemic. J. Appl. Prob. 10, 247262.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bailey, N. T. J. (1957) The Mathematical Theory of Epidemics. Griffin, London.Google Scholar
Dietz, K. (1966) On the model of Weiss for the spread of epidemics by carriers. J. Appl. Prob. 3, 375382.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gani, J. and Jerwood, D. (1972) The cost of a general stochastic epidemic. J. Appl. Prob. 9, 257269.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Weiss, G. H. (1965) On the spread of epidemics by carriers. Biometrics 21, 481490.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed