TITLE:
Mathematical Modeling of HIV Investigating the Effect of Inconsistent Treatment
AUTHORS:
Sr Mary Nyambura Mwangi, Virginia M. Kitetu, Isaac O. Okwany
KEYWORDS:
HIV Modeling, Mathematical Modeling, Reproduction Number, Inconsistent Treatment
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Applied Mathematics and Physics,
Vol.12 No.4,
April
18,
2024
ABSTRACT: HIV is a retrovirus that infects and impairs the cells and functions of the immune system. It has caused a great challenge to global public health systems and leads to Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS), if not attended to in good time. Antiretroviral therapy is used for managing the virus in a patient’s lifetime. Some of the symptoms of the disease include lean body mass and many opportunistic infections. This study has developed a SIAT mathematical model to investigate the impact of inconsistency in treatment of the disease. The arising non-linear differential equations have been obtained and analyzed. The DFE and its stability have been obtained and the study found that it is locally asymptotically stable when the basic reproduction number is less than unity. The endemic equilibrium has been obtained and found to be globally asymptotically stable when the basic reproduction number is greater than unity. Numerical solutions have been obtained and analyzed to give the trends in the spread dynamics. The inconsistency in treatment uptake has been analyzed through the numerical solutions. The study found that when the treatment rate of those infected increases, it leads to an increase in treatment population, which slows down the spread of HIV and vice versa. An increase in the rate of treatment of those with AIDS leads to a decrease in the AIDS population, the reverse happens when this rate decreases. The study recommends that the community involvement in advocating for consistent treatment of HIV to curb the spread of the disease.