Game Theory and Disease Outbreaks
Article link: https://phys.org/news/2018-09-game-theory-disease-outbreaks.html
The article discusses game theory’s role in public health, primarily through preventing outbreaks and the spread of disease. The authors, Kiss and Georgiou, introduce the article with a quick explanation of game theory while utilizing the example of vaccinations. Downsides to vaccinations exist. For example, it costs money, can cause mild illness in the days after, and it may even be painful. In a society where the majority of individuals get vaccinated, remaining unvaccinated can seem like a tempting choice. The likelihood of coming in contact with someone who is infected has already been reduced due to the permeation of vaccinations. Yet, if individuals stop getting vaccinated en mass, widespread epidemics can occur.
As such, it is in the best interest for the individual to choose the worst strategy for them (undergoing short term discomfort of a vaccine) to choose the best strategy for society (getting vaccinated).
In situations like vaccinations, game theory underscores the notion that a main determinant of whether or not an outbreak occurs is how individuals interact with each other and how these individuals perceive the risk. Other factors are also determinants of whether or not an outbreak is likely to occur. These factors include current government policy, climate, and virus characteristics (its evolution and symptoms). In addition, the way the media or individuals view an outbreak or the potential for an outbreak guides their decisions. Game theory allows public health officials to study all these factors to find out when individuals are most likely to act in a way that has the potential to harm the group. Afterwards, they can implement policies to minimize the impact of the outbreaks.