We have published a new paper in EPJ Data Science describing contact patterns measured in a rural village in Malawi. This study, conducted in collaboration with the University of Zurich and the College of Medicine in Lilongwe, and funded by UNICEF Malawi, represents the first detailed characterization of face-to-face contact patterns in a rural African setting.
Using wearable proximity sensors, we measured contact patterns among 164 individuals over five days in a village in southern Malawi. The data reveal contact patterns that differ substantially from those observed in high-income countries, with implications for understanding respiratory disease transmission in low-resource settings. The study highlights the importance of collecting empirical contact data across diverse populations and environments to inform public health interventions.
