Online Program
Integrating rich survey datasets in computational simulations of hepatitis C virus infection among injecting drug users in Chicago area
Basmattee Boodram, University of Illinois at Chicago Keywords: Injecting drug user, IDU, agent-based model, prevalence, hepatitis C virus, HCV, syringe exchange, epidemiology, Agent-based Pathogen Kinetics model, APK Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is transmitted through contact with blood, and frequently occurs when injection drug users (IDUs) share contaminated needles. Computational modeling is an effective tool to simulate HCV transmission among IDUs and, in turn, inform the design of intervention strategies and vaccine trials. We have developed a prototype model – the Agent-based Pathogen Kinetics model (APK) – that models the complex interplay of behavior, social networks and geography. APK simulates HCV spread among the metropolitan Chicago IDU population. APK extrapolates from individual-level profiles built from raw data collected by several Chicago-based IDU research studies. We demonstrate how this data-driven approach reproduces complex correlations in the population, including the spatially heterogeneous distribution of infected individuals. Future applications of APK include the simulation of vaccine trials and other intervention and prevention strategies.
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Important Dates & Deadlines
- October 9 - 11, 2013
ICHPS 2013