SIMID | Simulation Models of Infectious Disease

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What if the pandemic had been handled differently?
What if the pandemic had been handled differently?
March 13, 2025

Five years ago, Belgium was on the verge of its first COVID-19 lockdown. This morning on Radio 1, Niel Hens, looked back on what we learned since then.

Are we ready for the next pandemic?
Are we ready for the next pandemic?
February 25, 2025

Newspaper De Standaard reports on most important lessons learned, five year since the start of the pandemic.

Code orange: infectious diseases on the rise
Code orange: infectious diseases on the rise
January 13, 2025

Recent data from Infectieradar.be confirm a notable rise in reported respiratory symptoms among participants. Interestingly, the number of doctor visits remains stable.

The influence of age-specific behaviors on COVID-19 spread and control efforts | NEW PAPER
The influence of age-specific behaviors on COVID-19 spread and control efforts | NEW PAPER
December 29, 2024

How do different age groups contribute to COVID-19 spread through unique behaviors and interactions. And what does that mean for the interventions needed?

Tracking the emerging dynamics and risks of H5N1 flu | NEW PREPRINT
Tracking the emerging dynamics and risks of H5N1 flu | NEW PREPRINT
December 17, 2024

The recent outbreak of H5N1 bird flu is an emerging public health risk. In our new study, We focus on identifying key epidemiological parameters of the H5N1 and how it might inform our future actions.

The enduring influence of vaccine hesitancy | NEW PAPER
The enduring influence of vaccine hesitancy | NEW PAPER
November 14, 2024

The longer someone delays getting vaccinated, the less likely they are to get vaccinated at all. In our new study, we explore how this long-lasting vaccine hesitancy can impact how an epidemic unfolds

How to weigh the costs and benefits of health investments
How to weigh the costs and benefits of health investments
October 30, 2024
When it comes to health, we all know that making proactive choices—like exercising more—is beneficial. But with limited time, energy, and budgets, how...
Infectieradar resumes data collection
Infectieradar resumes data collection
September 25, 2024

Infectieradar has officially launched its fourth year of data collection, inviting citizens across the country to report weekly on their symptoms, or lack thereof, to help us model the spread of infectious diseases like influenza, RSV, and COVID-19.

GEOMED 2024 welcomes spatial epidemiologists to Hasselt
GEOMED 2024 welcomes spatial epidemiologists to Hasselt
September 16, 2024

Last week, we’ve had the pleasure of hosting researchers from across the globe in Hasselt for GEOMED 2024, a conference dedicated to advancing the field of spatial epidemiology.

“Intense and worthwhile” That’s a wrap on another successful edition of our summer school
“Intense and worthwhile” That’s a wrap on another successful edition of our summer school
September 10, 2024

This year, we once again welcomed 22 participants to Antwerp for the 2024 edition of our 5-day course on mathematical modelling and health economics.

Parvovirus on the rise again: is waning immunity to blame?
Parvovirus on the rise again: is waning immunity to blame?
June 30, 2024

While we know that parvoviral infections are common in children and that the virus continues to infect people at a lower rate into adulthood, there hasn’t been much research on how widespread the infection is overall. Most studies focus specifically on the risks to pregnant women. 

What’s behind the surge in measles cases?
What’s behind the surge in measles cases?
June 18, 2024

Measles are on the rise again. Countries across the globe are facing new outbreaks and in Belgium, Sciensano is calling on all adults to check their vaccination status and be mindful of the symptoms. What’s driving this new surge in cases?

The impact of preventing disease morbidity on overall health outcomes | NEW PAPER
The impact of preventing disease morbidity on overall health outcomes | NEW PAPER
May 3, 2024
Our latest findings published in BMC Public Health discuss the importance of considering various outcomes, beyond just preventing severe disease and m...
Gains and losses combining outputs from multiple models  |  NEW PAPER
Gains and losses combining outputs from multiple models | NEW PAPER
April 24, 2024
New collaborative work on balancing information gains and losses when collecting outputs from multiple epidemic models is published in Epidemics. D...
Studying trade-offs of different mitigation policies | NEW PAPER
Studying trade-offs of different mitigation policies | NEW PAPER
April 23, 2024
Outbreaks of infectious diseases can have a massive impact on public health and society. Figuring out how to deal with these outbreaks is tricky becau...