high-resolution human contact network for infectious disease transmission

• Published in: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS Vol. 107; no. 51; pp. 22020 - 22025
• Main Authors: Salathé, Marcel, Kazandjieva, Maria, Lee, Jung Woo, Levis, Philip, Feldman, Marcus W, Jones, James H
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States National Academy of Sciences 21.12.2010; National Acad Sciences
• Subjects: Communicable Disease Control; Communicable Diseases - epidemiology; Communicable Diseases - transmission; Community structure; Computer Simulation; Data transmission; Disease models; Disease outbreaks; Disease transmission; Disease Transmission, Infectious; droplets; Epidemiology; Female; Humans; Immunization; Infectious diseases; influenza; Influenza, Human - epidemiology; Influenza, Human - prevention & control; Influenza, Human - transmission; Male; Models, Biological; pandemic; Pandemics; Public health; Schools; Sensors; social networks; Social Sciences; United States; Vaccination; Vaccines; Wireless networks; United States; United States > US
• ISSN: 0027-8424; 1091-6490; 1091-6490
• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1009094108

The most frequent infectious diseases in humans—and those with the highest potential for rapid pandemic spread—are usually transmitted via droplets during close proximity interactions (CPIs). Despite the importance of this transmission route, very little is known about the dynamic patterns of CPIs. Using wireless sensor network technology, we obtained high-resolution data of CPIs during a typical day at an American high school, permitting the reconstruction of the social network relevant for infectious disease transmission. At 94% coverage, we collected 762,868 CPIs at a maximal distance of 3 m among 788 individuals. The data revealed a high-density network with typical small-world properties and a relatively homogeneous distribution of both interaction time and interaction partners among subjects. Computer simulations of the spread of an influenza-like disease on the weighted contact graph are in good agreement with absentee data during the most recent influenza season. Analysis of targeted immunization strategies suggested that contact network data are required to design strategies that are significantly more effective than random immunization. Immunization strategies based on contact network data were most effective at high vaccination coverage.