Infectious diseases are transmitted through various different mechanisms
including person to person interactions, by insect vectors and via
vertical transmission from a parent to an unborn offspring. The
population dynamics of such disease transmission can be very complicated
and the development of rational strategies for controlling and
preventing the spread of these diseases requires careful modeling and
analysis. The book describes current methods for formulating models and
analyzing the dynamics of the propagation of diseases which include
vertical transmission as one of the mechanisms for their spread. Generic
models that describe broad classes of diseases as well as models that
are tailored to the dynamics of a specific infection are formulated and
analyzed. The effects of incubation periods, maturation delays, and
age-structure, interactions between disease transmission and demographic
changes, population crowding, spatial spread, chaotic dynamic behavior,
seasonal periodicities and discrete time interval events are studied
within the context of specific disease transmission models. No previous
background in disease transmission modeling and analysis is assumedand
the required biological concepts and mathematical methods are gradually
introduced within the context of specific disease transmission models.
Graphs are widely used to illustrate and explain the modeling
assumptions and results. REMARKS: NOTE: the authors have supplied
variants on the promotion text that are more suitable for promotionin
different fields (by virtue of different emphasis in the content). They
are not enclosed, but in the mathematics editorial.