Measles is a very important human pathogen, which continues to exert a major toll of morbidity and mortality across the world. This book provides a synoptic picture of how the balance between epidemic determinism, stochasticity and external forces such as seasonality drive the dynamics of measles and other childhood infections.
Two factors combine to make this a uniquely profitable study system. Firstly, there are hugely detailed and accurate records of the disease's spatio-temporal incidence; secondly, the virus has a very simple natural history which promotes accurate modelling. These factors combined reveal the dynamics of disease control with unusual clarity. This is an advanced textbook suitable for graduate level students as well as professional researchers in the fields of epidemiology and population ecology.