Modelling epidemics on networks

Infectious disease remains, despite centuries of work to control and mitigate its effects, a major problem facing humanity. This paper reviews the mathematical modelling of infectious disease epidemics on networks, starting from the simplest Erdös–Rényi random graphs, and building up structure in the form of correlations, heterogeneity and preference, paying particular attention to the links between random graph theory, percolation and dynamical systems representing transmission. Finally, the problems posed by networks with a large number of short closed loops are discussed.