The problems of understanding and controlling disease present a range of mathematical challenges, from broad theoretical issues to specific practical ones, making epidemiology one of the most vibrant branches of applied ecology. Progress in this field requires interdisciplinary collaboration; leading researchers with a wide range of mathematical expertise and close involvement in applied fields across the social, medical and biological sciences came together for a NATO Advanced Research Workshop marking the opening of a six month programme on Epidemic Models at the Newton Institute in Cambridge in 1993. This volume is a result of that collaboration and surveys the current state of epidemic modelling in relation to basic aims such as understanding, prediction, and evaluation and implementation of control strategies. The book is divided into five parts, covering the conceptual framework, three major problem areas (space, nonlinearity, heterogeneity), and the direct relation of models to data. A wide range of methodological issues is discussed, for instance comparing different approaches to the modelling of heterogeneity and relations between different types of model; and different data analytic approaches, together with the availability and quality of the data they require. This will be an essential purchase for graduate students and researchers in epidemiology as an introduction to the current state of knowledge in the field.