Mathematical modelling is increasingly being applied to interpret and predict the dynamics and control of infectious diseases. Applications include predicting the impact of vaccination strategies against common infections and determining optimal control strategies against HIV and pandemic influenza. Though many public health and infectious disease researchers are aware that mathematical modelling would be of use to them, few have had any formal training in this
area, making them ill-equipped to use models and to evaluate modelling work. This book is intended to fill this gap by providing an accessible introduction to the methods for
setting up models and illustrating how and where they can be applied. The book is extensively developed from material taught on successful infectious disease modelling courses set up by the authors, which are targeted at non-mathematical audiences. It uses numerous examples based on infections such as measles, rubella, mumps, influenza, HIV, gonorrhoea, HSV-2, tuberculosis and varicella. These help to highlight the insights into the transmission and control of infections that models have
provided and consolidate readers' understanding of infectious disease epidemiology.