The fifth edition of EpiMob2025 took opened today in Maastricht with an engaging keynote by Andrea Torneri. His talk, "On the influence of transmission modes in the spread of mpox and respiratory infections," laid the foundation for a day dedicated to behavioral data and epidemic dynamics.
Torneri emphasized the role of transmission modes in shaping epidemic outcomes, highlighting the need to distinguish between contact and effective transmission. His presentation guided the audience through the mathematical modeling of contact processes, serial intervals, and the integration of non-random human behavior into contact-based epidemiological models.
Key concepts included the use of individual-based models to evaluate mitigation strategies and the critical importance of accounting for time since infection and host susceptibility in determining transmission probability. He also revisited findings from recent studies on COVID-19 and school testing strategies, reinforcing the importance of real-time data, mechanistic assumptions, and model transparency.
This year, EpiMob2025 broadened its scope beyond mobility to embrace all forms of behavioral data, aiming to better understand inequities in transmission and the limitations of existing data collection efforts. The symposium brought together physicists, epidemiologists, statisticians, and computer scientists to collaborate across disciplines.
Thank you to the organizing team for making this edition possible: Mattia Mazzoli, Amanda Perofsky, Giulia Pullano, and Eugenio Valdano.
