Disease Persistence in Epidemiological Models: The Interplay between Vaccination and Migration

TL;DR

This paper explores how migration and vaccination strategies interact to influence disease persistence, revealing that migration can inhibit disease spread and informing optimal vaccination policies in interconnected populations.

Contribution

It provides a novel analysis of the effects of migration on vaccination efficacy and proposes new vaccination strategies considering migration patterns in epidemiological models.

Findings

Migration can inhibit disease persistence

Optimal vaccine placement depends on migration connectivity

Migration influences vaccination policy effectiveness

Abstract

We consider the interplay of vaccination and migration rates on disease persistence in epidemiological systems. We show that short-term and long-term migration can inhibit disease persistence. As a result, we show how migration changes how vaccination rates should be chosen to maintain herd immunity. In a system of coupled SIR models, we analyze how disease eradication depends explicitly on vaccine distribution and migration connectivity. The analysis suggests potentially novel vaccination policies that underscore the importance of optimal placement of finite resources.