Abstract

This long and important book summarizes the results of nearly a decade and a half of collaboration between two of the world's best analysts of infectious diseases and alludes to related work by many others. The authors are Roy M. Anderson, FRS, of Imperial College, University of London, and Robert M. May, FRS and Foreign Member of the US National Academy of Sciences, of the University of Oxford. The authors write, "The primary aim of this book is to show how simple mathematical models of the transmission of infectious agents within human communities can help to interpret observed epidemiological trends, to guide the collection of data towards further understanding, and to design programmes for the control of infection and disease. Our major goal is further understanding of the interplay between the variables that determine the course of infection within an individual, and the variables that control the pattern of infection