SIS epidemics with household structure: the self-consistent field method
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Published on: June 5, 2026
G Ghoshal1, L M Sander, I M Sokolov
1Michigan Center for Theoretical Physics, Department of Physics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1120, USA.
Abstract:
We consider a stochastic SIS infection model for a population partitioned into m households assuming random mixing. We solve the model in the limit m --> infinity by using the self-consistent field method of statistical physics. We derive a number of explicit results, and give numerical illustrations. We then do numerical simulations of the model for finite m and without random mixing. We find in many of these cases that the self-consistent field method is a very good approximation.
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