original_query: What are compartmental models and how are they applied in epidemiology?
query: What are compartmental models and how are they applied in epidemiology?
answer: Compartmental models are a general modeling technique often used in epidemiology to mathematically model infectious diseases.  Populations are divided into compartments (e.g., susceptible, infectious, recovered) with individuals moving between them.  These models predict disease spread, infection numbers, epidemic duration, and the impact of interventions like vaccination.