Epifire: An Open Source C ++ Library and Application for Contact Network Epidemiology

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Date

2012-05

Authors

Hladish, Thomas
Melamud, Eugene
Barrera, Luis Alberto
Galvani, Alison
Meyers, Lauren Ancel

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Abstract

Contact network models have become increasingly common in epidemiology, but we lack a flexible programming framework for the generation and analysis of epidemiological contact networks and for the simulation of disease transmission through such networks. Results: Here we present EpiFire, an applications programming interface and graphical user interface implemented in C++, which includes a fast and efficient library for generating, analyzing and manipulating networks. Network-based percolation and chain-binomial simulations of susceptible-infected-recovered disease transmission, as well as traditional non-network mass-action simulations, can be performed using EpiFire. Conclusions: EpiFire provides an open-source programming interface for the rapid development of network models with a focus in contact network epidemiology. EpiFire also provides a point-and-click interface for generating networks, conducting epidemic simulations, and creating figures. This interface is particularly useful as a pedagogical tool.

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Hladish, Thomas, Eugene Melamud, Luis A. Barrera, Alison Galvani, and Lauren A. Meyers. "EpiFire: An open source C++ library and application for contact network epidemiology." BMC bioinformatics, Vol. 13, No. 1 (May., 2012): 76.