We are pleased to be part of JUNIPER, the Joint University Pandemic and Epidemic Research. JUNIPER is a collaborative network of researchers from across the UK who work at the interface between mathematical modelling, infectious disease control and public health policy. The content listed here is part of our collaboration with JUNIPER and you can find out more about the work of other JUNIPER members on their website. We received an award from the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) for our work with JUNIPER communicating maths concepts to policy-makers and the public during the COVID-19 emergency.
Mathematics plays a central role in understanding how infectious diseases spread. This collection of articles looks at some basic concepts in epidemiology to help you understand this fascinating and important field, and set you up for further study.
Was the mathematical modelling projecting the course of the pandemic too pessimistic, or were the projections justified? Matt Keeling tells our colleagues from SBIDER about the COVID models that fed into public policy.