Resources Repository
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ArticlePublication 2017Using Data-Driven Agent-Based Models to Forecast Emerging Infectious Diseases
This paper describes an agent-based model framework developed to forecast the 2014-15 Ebola epidemic, which …
This paper describes an agent-based model framework developed to forecast the 2014-15 Ebola epidemic, which was subsequently used in the Ebola forecasting challenge. Producing timely and reliable forecasts for an epidemic of an emerging infectious disease is a challenge. Epidemiologists and policy makers have to deal with poor data quality, limited understanding of the disease dynamics, a rapidly changing social environment and the uncertainty around the effects of various interventions in place. In this setting,…
Calibration/Validation | Health/Medicine | Infectious Diseases | Microsimulation | Dynamic Simulation | Sub-Saharan Africa -
ArticlePublication 2017Likelihood Approach for Calibration of Stochastic Epidemic Models
Stochastic transmission dynamic models are especially useful for studying the early emergence of novel pathogens …
Stochastic transmission dynamic models are especially useful for studying the early emergence of novel pathogens given the importance of chance events when the number of infectious individuals is small. However, methods for parameter estimation and prediction for these types of stochastic models remain limited. This paper describes a calibration and prediction framework for stochastic compartmental transmission models of epidemics. The proposed method applies a linear noise approximation to describe the size of the fluctuations, and…
Calibration/Validation | Health/Medicine | Infectious Diseases | Dynamic Transmission | Dynamic Simulation | Health Systems | Global -
ArticlePublication 2016Funding Gap for Immunization Across 94 Low- and Middle-Income Countries
This analysis estimates immunization program costs, potentially available financing, and resulting funding gap for 94 …
This analysis estimates immunization program costs, potentially available financing, and resulting funding gap for 94 low- and middle-income countries over the five-year period of 2016–2020. Vaccine financing by country governments, GAVI, and other development sources was forecasted for vaccine, supply chain, and service delivery based on an analysis of comprehensive multi-year plans together with a series of scenarios. The authors found that that delivery of full vaccination programs across the 94 countries would result in a total…
Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Health/Medicine | Infectious Diseases | Costing Methods | Mathematical Models | Health Systems | Global Governance | Economics/Finance | Sub-Saharan Africa | Middle East & North Africa | Latin America & Caribbean | Asia & Pacific -
ArticlePublication 2016Cost-Effectiveness of Routine Vaccination With a Live-Attenuated Dengue Vaccine: Model Comparison
Large Phase III trials across Asia and Latin America have demonstrated the efficacy of a recombinant, …
Large Phase III trials across Asia and Latin America have demonstrated the efficacy of a recombinant, live-attenuated dengue vaccine (Dengvaxia) over the first 25 months following vaccination. Subsequent data collected in the longer-term follow-up phase, however, have raised concerns about a potential increase in hospitalization risk of subsequent dengue infections, in particular among young, dengue-naïve vaccinees. This paper reports predictions from eight independent modelling groups on the long-term safety, public health impact, and cost-effectiveness of routine…
Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Health/Medicine | Infectious Diseases | Mathematical Models | Dynamic Transmission | Child/Nutrition | Health Systems | Global Governance | Climate/Environment | Economics/Finance | Latin America & Caribbean | Asia & Pacific -
ArticlePublication 2016Cost-Effectiveness of Diagnosing HIV Infection During Early Infancy in South Africa
In this study the clinical impact and cost-effectiveness of four different early infant HIV diagnosis …
In this study the clinical impact and cost-effectiveness of four different early infant HIV diagnosis (EID) testing strategies for HIV-exposed infants in South Africa were compared using a microsimulation model. The strategies included (1) no EID (diagnosis only after illness), (2) and (3) testing once (at birth alone or at 6 weeks of age alone), and (4) testing twice (at birth and 6 weeks of age). Findings showed that the testing at birth alone strategy…
Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Health/Medicine | Infectious Diseases | Microsimulation | Child/Nutrition | Sub-Saharan Africa -
ArticlePublication 2016Identifying Cost-Effective Dynamic Policies to Control Epidemics
This paper describes a mathematical decision model for identifying dynamic health policies for controlling epidemics. …
This paper describes a mathematical decision model for identifying dynamic health policies for controlling epidemics. The dynamic policies aim to select the best current intervention based on accumulating epidemic data and the availability of resources at each decision point. An algorithm is proposed to approximate dynamic policies that optimize the population's net health benefit, a performance measure which accounts for both health and monetary outcomes. The authors further illustrate how dynamic policies can be defined and…
Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Health/Medicine | Infectious Diseases | Mathematical Models | Dynamic Transmission | Dynamic Simulation -
ArticlePublication 2016Prevention of Hepatitis C by Screening and Treatment in U.S. Prisons
This study assesses the health and economic impact of hepatitis C virus (HCV) screening and …
This study assesses the health and economic impact of hepatitis C virus (HCV) screening and treatment in U.S. prisons on the broader HCV epidemic. Employing an agent-based microsimulation model of HCV transmission and disease progression, data from published literature inform the analysis. The target populations include individuals in U.S. prisons and the general community over a 30-year timeframe, adopting a societal perspective. Interventions encompass risk-based and universal opt-out HCV screening in prisons, followed by treatment…
Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Health/Medicine | Infectious Diseases | Microsimulation | Chronic Disease/Risk | North America -
GuidelinesPublication 2016Methods for Health Economic Evaluation of Vaccines
This article describes the development of a consensus for health economic evaluations of vaccines to …
This article describes the development of a consensus for health economic evaluations of vaccines to support the development of national guidelines in Europe. While guidelines advocating more standardization of health economic evaluations exist, this article aims to address several immunization-specific aspects (e.g. indirect effects or discounting approach) which are still a subject of debate. The systematic literature review search was informed by expert opinion. 2,838 articles were returned from the search and 26 were finally…
Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Health/Medicine | Infectious Diseases | Costing Methods | Dynamic Transmission | Health Systems | Europe -
ArticlePublication 2016Rotavirus Vaccines Contribute Towards UHC in A Mixed Public–Private Healthcare System
This extended cost-effectiveness analysis (ECEA) evaluates the non-health benefits of rotavirus vaccination in Malaysia from …
This extended cost-effectiveness analysis (ECEA) evaluates the non-health benefits of rotavirus vaccination in Malaysia from the household’s perspective. The authors found that rotavirus vaccination reduces rotavirus episodes and expenditure substantially and provides financial risk protection to all income groups. Although the rich are paying more out of pocket than the poor by utilizing more expensive healthcare, the poor are paying more in proportion to household income. Poverty reduction benefits are concentrated amongst the poorest two…
Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Health/Medicine | Infectious Diseases | Priority Setting/Ethics | Costing Methods | Child/Nutrition | Social Determinants | Health Systems | Economics/Finance | Science/Technology | Asia & Pacific