Vertically Transmitted Diseases : Models and Dynamics

Infectious diseases are transmittable through different mechanisms. Vertical transmission occurs when a parent transmits a disease to an unborn offspring. The epidemiology of such transmissions can be very complicated, and hence also the modelling and analysis leading up to strategies for control and prevention. The book describes current methods for formulating models and analyzing the dynamics of the propagation of diseases which include vertical transmission as one of the mechanisms for their spread. No previous background in disease transmission modeling and analysis is assumed and the required biological concepts and mathematical methods are gradually introduced within the context of specific disease transmission models. Graphs are widely used to illustrate and explain the modeling assumptions and results.