Which compartment was added to the core SIR structure to account for the latent period in diseases like tuberculosis?
Answer
Exposed (E)
As real-world pathogens often possess periods where an individual has contracted the disease but is not yet capable of spreading it, the fundamental SIR structure required refinement. This led to the development of models like SEIR, which explicitly incorporates an Exposed (E) compartment. Individuals progress through the sequence $S o E o I o R$. The 'E' stage specifically captures the latent period—the time after infection but before the individual becomes infectious. This modification is particularly necessary when modeling diseases known for having extended incubation times, such as tuberculosis.
Related Questions
Who published the seminal work introducing the SIR model using differential equations in 1927?In the SIR model, what does the 'R' compartment represent for individuals categorized within it?What critical metric, derived from Kermack and McKendrick’s equations, estimates secondary infections per person?How does the Reed-Frost model fundamentally differ in its application of time compared to the SIR model?Which compartment was added to the core SIR structure to account for the latent period in diseases like tuberculosis?For modeling the aggregate behavior of a massive, ongoing epidemic like seasonal influenza across a continent, which modeling approach is favored?What was the primary intention behind developing early models like the SIR structure in the absence of interventions?What crucial capability did early epidemiological efforts relying on simple counting and charting lack compared to later mathematical frameworks?What enduring mathematical principle, established by the pioneers, remains central even in modern, complex computational models?What essential translation step must policy analysts perform when moving from a calculated theoretical $R_0$ to concrete resource allocation decisions?