Disease modeling within refugee camps: A multi-agent systems approach

The displacement of people in times of crisis represents a challenge for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief and stakeholder agencies. Major challenges include providing adequate security and medical facilities to displaced people. Within this paper, we develop a spatially explicit multi-agent system model that explores the spread of cholera in the Dadaab refugee camps, Kenya. A common characteristic of these camps is poor sanitation and housing conditions which contribute to frequent outbreaks of cholera. We model the spread of cholera by explicitly representing the interaction between humans (host) and their environment, and the spread of the epidemic. The results from the model show that the spread of cholera grows radially from contaminated water sources and can have an impact on service provision. Agents' social behavior and movements contribute to the spread of cholera to other camps where water sources were relatively safe.