"Infectious disease control is certainly a relevant and timely topic worthy of comprehensive treatment in a dedicated text. .... Practical questions, such as what defines a successful vaccination campaign, are answered throughout. A very interesting point is taken up in Chapter 10, which is how to use infectious disease data to inform model choice, that is, within statistical models. As one typically tries to keep models as simple as possible, it is important to deal with this problem. … Individual chapter contents are thoroughly prepared. Starting with a short motivation, the models and analyses are displayed in single steps, avoiding the use of humbling phrases such as "as easily checked by the reader." … Many real-life examples in the main text and exercises are included, including larger data sets, such as the Hagelloch measles epidemic. By doing so, the book helps to understand how to apply the introduced methods not only to "nice academic examples," but to real-life problems, and to learn about the special difficulties there. … [T]he presented book provides useful and graspable material for interested readers to enter a relevant and important scientific area, whether they be undergraduate statistics students or advanced researchers in interdisciplinary fields."
—Christina Kuttler, Technical University Munich, in Biometrics, March 2018
"This book provides an accessible introduction to the use of mathematical models to inform infectious disease management. The core material is designed to be read by someone with a ‘modest knowledge of mathematics’, possessing the ability to ‘interpret an algebraic formula and [understand] what it means to solve an equation’; some additional knowledge of basic statistics is stated as being useful. … The core material is complemented by more technical supplementary material at the end of each chapter, for readers with greater knowledge of mathematics. Exercises are included in each chapter which support the material and would be suitable for use as part of an introductory course…The language in the book is direct and clear, and the material is well motivated. … Overall, this book is a valuable resource to those new to infectious disease (stochastic) modelling. It is rather unique in the level of assumed knowledge, the probabilistic foundation (including handling of branching process and stochastic household model results), the provision of tangible and realistic insight into how these models inform public health management, and the integration of data. To achieve this all within just over 200 pages is a great feat."
—Joshua V. Ross School of Mathematical Sciences, The University of Adelaide, in Australian & New Zealand Journal of Statistics, 2016
"This new book seeks to fill an important gap in the literature on infectious disease modeling, namely separating the now well-developed mathematical and statistical theory of infectious diseases from its public health application to infectious disease control. Professor Becker bridges the two worlds by presenting a logical succession of simple models that relate to some of the pressing questions arising in outbreak control. The approach is very effective and has resulted in an engaging volume that, in my estimation, will become a classic of the literature and thus a worthy successor to the author’s earlier landmark volume on the subject. It will be essential reading for a broad range of scientists working on infectious diseases, notably statisticians, modelers, and epidemiologists with an interest in quantitative methods."
—Paddy Farrington, The Open University, UK
