A network modelling approach for assessing the efficiency of prevention strategies

Survey data and a simulation model based on a stochastic pair formation process are used to construct networks of sexual contacts. We model heterosexual partnerships which can be steady or casual depending on their average duration. Transmission of an infectious disease can take place in pairs of a susceptible and an infected individual. We study networks of sexual contacts accumulated during 1 year for different types of mixing patterns. The networks are constructed on the basis of data from a survey in The Netherlands. We analyze the network structure for different mixing patterns and investigate the relationship between network structure and disease spread; furthermore we study the effect of prevention measures on the structure of the network.