Tuberculosis model overview¶
To use the tuberculosis model and gain access to specific TB parameters, the Simulation_Type configuration parameter must be set to TBHIV_SIM. Epidemiological MODeling software (EMOD) represents the progression of TB disease using a series of state changes as individuals progress from susceptible to latent, to active infection, and then to recovery or death. Each agent follows assigned rules based on their state: how quickly the disease progresses, whether the individual is infectious, the presence of symptoms, and more.
EMOD enables you to simulate TB transmission with or without including coinfection with HIV. This model does not include transmission of HIV; instead, you can enable coinfection, configure the rates of disease progression for coinfected individuals, and set the prevalence of HIV in the population.
Because TB progresses slowly and may be latent for years and has many different testing and treatment options based on the symptoms experienced or strain of TB, the TB model includes logic for the speed of disease progression, altering immunity based on age or other factors, case-finding strategies, and navigating health care systems.
For more information on the basics of agent-based modeling with EMOD, see Disease modeling with EMOD.
Simulation examples¶
To illustrate many of the concepts and capabilities of EMOD, IDM provides tested files to run example simulations that model a variety of disease scenarios. The directory for each scenario contains the files needed to run a simulation and generate the output graphs. Click EMODScenarios to download a zipped folder containing all required files and see the README for additional guidance for installing prerequisites. These scenarios are referenced throughout this section.
Note
Because the EMOD model is stochastic, your graphs may appear slightly different from those included in the documentation.