SOCIAL NETWORKS AND INFECTIOUS-DISEASE - THE COLORADO-SPRINGS STUDY

The social network paradigm provides a set of concepts and methods use ful for studying the structure of a population through which infectiou s agents transmitted during close personal contact spread, and an oppo rtunity to develop improved disease control programs. The research dis cussed was a first attempt to use a social network approach to better understand factors affecting the transmission of a variety of pathogen s, including hepatitis B virus (HBV) and human immunodeficiency viruse s (HIV), in a population of prostitutes, injecting drug users (IDU) an d their personal associates in a moderate-sized city (Colorado Springs , CO). Some of the challenges of studying large social networks in epi demiological research are described, some initial results reported and a new view of interconnections in an at risk population provided. Ove rall, for the first time in epidemiologic research a large number of i ndividuals (over 600) were found connected to each other, directly or indirectly, using a network design. The average distance (along observ ed social relationships) between persons infected with HIV and suscept ible persons was about three steps (3.1) in the core network region. A ll susceptibles in the core were within seven steps of HIV infection.