Modelling human response to information in voluntary vaccination behaviour using epidemic data

Here, we considered Holling functional responses, a core concept in population dynamics, and discussed their potential interpretation in the context of social epidemiology. Then, we assessed which Holling functional response best represents the vaccination behaviour of individuals when such a behaviour is influenced by information and rumours about the disease. In particular, we used the Holling functionals to represent the information-dependent vaccination rate in a socio-epidemiological model for meningococcal meningitis. As a field case test, we estimated the information-related parameters by using official data from a meningitis outbreak in Nigeria and numerically assessed the impact of the functionals on the solutions of the model. We observed significant inaccuracies on parameter estimates when either Holling type I or Holling type III functional were used. On the contrary, when the Holling type II functional was employed, epidemiological data were well reproduced, and reasonable values of the information parameters were obtained. Given the socio-epidemiological interpretation of the Holling type II functional, this means that the rate at which susceptible individuals come into contact with information may be assumed to be constant and that the time needed to handle the available information cannot be neglected.