Article

A computational investigation on how visitation affects the reproduction number in a dengue fever model

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Abstract

Dengue fever is transmitted by day-biting mosquitoes in tropical climates and is a major public threat for many countries. Ordinary differential equation models can be used to describe how infectious diseases move throughout populations, and predictions from these models may help in the development of effective treatment strategies. In order to investigate the spread of dengue fever in neighboring communities, a previously developed SIR/SI model of dengue transmission in neighboring communities in Sri Lanka was used to generate the basic reproduction number, R0. Parameters for time spent in neighboring communities were varied in order to investigate how time spent in communities of different sizes affects the reproduction number. Results suggest that movement of individuals among communities increases the reproduction number, especially if people are traveling to a population of greater size.

Keywords: dengue fever, population dynamics, mathematical modeling

How to Cite:

Yokley, K., Parker, H., Campelo, S. & Arangala, C., (2020) “A computational investigation on how visitation affects the reproduction number in a dengue fever model”, North Carolina Journal of Mathematics and Statistics 6(1).