SIS epidemics with household structure: the self-consistent field method.

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. Copyright 2004 Elsevier Inc.