Mathematical models to simulate the East African trypanosomiasis population dynamics.

Abstract

This paper presents mathematical models for the East African trypanosomiasis or sleeping sickness. It is aimed at modelling the population dynamics for the human and domestic animal victims as well as the dynamics of the tsetse fly population that acts as the vector that spreads the parasite causing this disease. Since sleeping sickness is caused by two protozoan parasites that are morphologically similar but cause dramatically different diseases in humans and domestic animals, this paper examines the East African sleeping sickness only. An extended model is provided to show the significance of infectious contacts between the tsetse flies and animals that serve as the reservoir for the parasite that causes this disease. Steady states for the models are also presented and analysed.

Journal of the Nigerian Association of Mathematical Physics Vol. 10 2006: pp. 481-488