Search

The goal of this paper is to investigate the influence of the waning immunity on the dynamics of Tilapia Lake Virus (TiLV) transmission in wild and farmed tilapia within freshwater. We formulate a model for which susceptible individuals can contract the disease in two ways: (i) direct mode caused by contact with infected individuals; (ii) indirect mode due to the presence of pathogenic agents in the water. We obtain an age-structured model which combines both age since infection and age since recovery. We derive an explicit formula for the reproductive number R 0 and show that the disease-free equilibrium is locally asymptotically stable when, R 0 < 1. We discuss on the form of the waning immunity parameter and show numerically that a Hopf bifurcation may occur for suitable immunity parameter values, which means that there is a periodic solution around the endemic equilibrium when, R 0 > 1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scarlet fever is an acute respiratory infectious disease and the incidence rate is increasing from 2011 throughout the world. In this paper, the mathematical models are proposed, which incorporate both direct transmissions and indirect transmissions of scarlet fever. The threshold conditions for disease invasion are obtained in terms of the basic reproduction number. The peak value, final size and epidemic time in a seasonal prevalence are investigated numerically. Furthermore, the effects of seasonal fluctuations on disease outbreak are also studied on the basis of real data in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents a model for the evolution of an infectious disease in a population with individual-specific immunity. The immune state of an individual varies with time according to its own dynamics, depending on whether the individual is infected or not. The model involves a system of size-structured (first-order) PDEs that capture both the dynamics of the immune states and the transition between compartments consisting of infected, susceptible, etc. individuals. Due to the unavailability of precise data about the immune states of the individuals, the main focus in the paper is on developing a technique for set-membership estimations of aggregated quantities of interest. The technique involves solving specific optimization problems for the underlying PDE system and is developed up to a numerical method. Results of numerical simulations are presented for a benchmark model of SIS-type, potentially applicable to diseases like influenza and to various sexually transmitted diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces a time-since-recovery structured, multi-strain, multi-population model of avian influenza. Influenza A viruses infect many species of wild and domestic birds and are classified into two groups based on their ability to cause disease: low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) and high pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). Prior infection with LPAI provides partial immunity towards HPAI. The model introduced in this paper structures LPAI-recovered birds (wild and domestic) with time-since-recovery and includes cross-immunity towards HPAI that can fade with time. The model has a unique disease-free equilibrium (DFE), unique LPAI-only and HPAI-only equilibria and at least one coexistence equilibrium. We compute the reproduction numbers of LPAI (RL) and HPAI (RH) and show that the DFE is locally asymptotically stable when RL < 1 and RH < 1. A unique LPAI-only (HPAI-only) equilibrium exists when RL > 1 (RH > 1) and it is locally asymptotically stable if HPAI (LPAI) cannot invade the equilibrium, that is, if the invasion number ...L H < 1 (...HL < 1). We show using numerical simulations that the ODE version of the model, which is obtained by discarding the time-since-recovery structures (making cross-immunity constant), can exhibit oscillations, and also that the pathogens LPAI and HPAI can coexist with sustained oscillations in both populations. Through simulations, we show that even if both populations (wild and domestic) are sinks when alone, LPAI and HPAI can persist in both populations combined. Thus, reducing the reproduction numbers of LPAI and HPAI in each population to below unity is not enough to eradicate the disease. The pathogens can continue to coexist in both populations unless transmission between the populations is reduced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates consequences of vaccine implementation strategies for infectious diseases by a mathematical model. For an infectious disease, the degree of infection may vary widely among the individuals. Reports show that individuals belonging to certain groups possess considerably higher risk to infection. Incorporating this phenomenon into vaccination strategies, the host is categorized into different groups to measure the outcome of the vaccination. A mathematical model is proposed and analysed to evaluate this measure. Our results suggest that vaccinating a group with certain priority may lead to elimination of the disease effectively. The strategy is cost-effective as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]