The use of high-performance computing and social network analysis for optimisation of rabies response strategies

An understanding of incursion routes, mechanisms of disease spread and potential impacts is important when developing strategies for disease prevention and control. In the case of emergency animal diseases such as rabies, there is often little or no previous outbreak data to inform preparedness strategies; therefore, computer-simulated models of disease spread are useful to predict outbreaks. These models simulate populations at risk, introduce disease then simulate spread between individuals, and record and summarise impacts such as the number of animals infected and the duration of outbreaks. In this way, models can be used to identify key drivers of disease spread to target surveillance and outbreak prevention strategies. Control measures can be tested to identify optimum strategies to reduce the number of infected animals, the duration of the outbreak, the risk to other species or further geographic spread.