Malaria model scenarios

The EMOD malaria model is explained in detail in Malaria transmission and treatment and the vector model it is built upon is described in Vector biology. While the various components that comprise the model are explained with examples, it may be more useful to learn the model through hands-on implementation. The following sections will introduce sets of example files that illustrate how the malaria model works on particular topics. All files are available in a downloadable EMOD scenarios zip file and, in addition to the explanations below, each scenario will have a more detailed README file to cover relevant information.

For more information on the software architecture and inheritance, see Overview of EMOD software.

Full malaria model

This scenario introduces users to the MALARIA_SIM, which builds upon the vector-transmission of the VECTOR_SIM and adds malaria-specific parameters. Specifically, users can configure malaria drug parameters, and disease parameters are specific to malaria (instead of having a more generic form). The purpose of this scenario is to introduce the user to the model features that are unique to the malaria model, and to demonstrate how they contribute to facilitate understanding of malaria epidemiology.

Garki project retrospective: IRS and MDA

This scenario uses a historical data set from the The Garki Project to examine how indoor residual spraying (IRS) and mass drug administration (MDA) impact malaria transmission. Previous scenarios introduced IRS, but utilized vaccination campaigns instead of MDA. To use MDA, the simulation type will be the MALARIA_SIM, and the configuration file will contain parameters to set the efficacy of specific drugs. As with generic vaccinations, the campaign file will then be used to distribute the vaccines to the desired portion of the population. The purpose of this scenario is twofold: first, it will allow the user to explore the Garki dataset, and second, it will introduce a new intervention (MDA).