Modeling infection spread and behavioral change using spatial games

Abstract

This paper presents a methodology that combines information transmission, contact networks, and changes of human behaviors in modeling the dynamics of infectious diseases. The methodology presented is based on a spatial evolutionary game with additional information representing human behavior. This approach is used to model the transmission process of infectious disease, which emphasizes the human response and information transmission in a social context. It combines the advantages of evolutionary game theory with modeling the spontaneous changes of human behaviors based on the balance of benefits and costs. The model assumes rational participants who use information acquired to make individual decisions. This novel modeling approach shows the global spread of infection considering an individual human behavior.

Keywords:

• spatial game
• infectious disease
• human behavior
• SIR model