JP Journal of Biostatistics

The JP Journal of Biostatistics is a highly regarded open-access international journal indexed in the Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI). It focuses on the application of statistical theory and methods in resolving problems in biological, biomedical, and agricultural sciences. The journal encourages the submission of experimental papers that employ relevant algorithms and also welcomes survey articles in the fields of biostatistics and epidemiology.

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MODEL DISCRIMINATION FOR EPIDEMIOLOGICAL SEIR-TYPE MODELS WITH DIFFERENT TRANSMISSION MECHANISMS

Authors

  • Muteb Alharthi

Keywords:

stochastic epidemic models, the posterior predictive distribution, model determination.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17654/0973514322012

Abstract

Stochastic epidemic models can be a useful tool for understanding and managing disease progression as well as assessing different disease-control measures in public health. However, unless a sufficiently accurate epidemic model is used, such advantages are of minimal utility. It is feasible to interpret parameter estimates, compare disease outbreaks, and execute control techniques if the model gives a sufficient fit. This paper presents a new method for determining stochastic Susceptible-Exposed-Infected-Removed (SEIR) epidemic models with varying infection rates. The technique investigates how SEIR models with various infection mechanisms can be assessed and differentiated given a set of removal times. The concept is built on employing a posterior predictive model checking technique with notion of predictive residuals to evaluate the discrepancy between observed and predicted removal times. The predictive distributions of removal trajectories and epidemic duration are both investigated. Simulation studies suggest that our method can successfully distinguish the infection rate from the assumption of the SEIR stochastic epidemic models.

Received: March 2, 2022
Accepted: April 11, 202

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Published

2022-04-27

Issue

Section

Articles

How to Cite

MODEL DISCRIMINATION FOR EPIDEMIOLOGICAL SEIR-TYPE MODELS WITH DIFFERENT TRANSMISSION MECHANISMS. (2022). JP Journal of Biostatistics, 20, 27-50. https://doi.org/10.17654/0973514322012

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