Centrality measures for disease transmission networks

This paper addresses the issue of the applicability of various network measures (provided by analysis programs such as UCINET) for the analysis of a disease transmission network. A simulation was conducted to estimate HIV transmission probabilities within an empirical network of cocaine injectors. The results of the simulation were then used as a criterion to evaluate network measures of disease vulnerability and infectivity. The analysis concludes that, for the type of disease transmission network studied, relatively simple ego-network-based network measures can be adequate to the measurement of vulnerability to disease and infectivity. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.