The relation between agent-based model and susceptible-infected-recovered model for spread of disease

Abstract

A close system consisted of 2500 agents is simulated to observe the spread of disease that can only be transmitted through contact between two agents. This agent-based model (ABM) is accompanied by a partial differential model known as the SIR (Susceptible-Infected-Recovered) model, which requires the rate of infection and rate of recovery as parameters, wherefrom these two other parameters known as basic reproduction number can be obtained. For homogeneous agents, ABM will give similar results with the SIR model, but for an inhomogeneous agents' average of ABM with the different initial condition can approximate the results of the SIR model. Besides the inhomogeneous agents, a spatial barrier that prevents agents from moving freely in the two-dimensional space can also introduce inhomogeneity in the system. Both models must have an initial infected agent or individual to begin the infection.