<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><!DOCTYPE article  PUBLIC "-//NLM//DTD Journal Publishing DTD v3.0 20080202//EN" "http://dtd.nlm.nih.gov/publishing/3.0/journalpublishing3.dtd"><article xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" dtd-version="3.0" xml:lang="en" article-type="research article"><front><journal-meta><journal-id journal-id-type="publisher-id">AM</journal-id><journal-title-group><journal-title>Applied Mathematics</journal-title></journal-title-group><issn pub-type="epub">2152-7385</issn><publisher><publisher-name>Scientific Research Publishing</publisher-name></publisher></journal-meta><article-meta><article-id pub-id-type="doi">10.4236/am.2014.513185</article-id><article-id pub-id-type="publisher-id">AM-47690</article-id><article-categories><subj-group subj-group-type="heading"><subject>Articles</subject></subj-group><subj-group subj-group-type="Discipline-v2"><subject>COMPUTER SCIENCE &amp; COMMUNICATIONS</subject><subject>ENGINEERING</subject><subject>PHYSICS &amp; MATHEMATICS</subject></subj-group></article-categories><title-group><article-title>Mathematical Analysis of a Large Scale Vector SIS Malaria Model in a Patchy Environment</article-title></title-group><contrib-group><contrib contrib-type="author" xlink:type="simple"><name name-style="western"><surname>Josephine</surname><given-names>Wairimu</given-names></name><xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff1"><sup>1</sup></xref><xref ref-type="corresp" rid="cor1"><sup>*</sup></xref></contrib><contrib contrib-type="author" xlink:type="simple"><name name-style="western"><surname>Sallet</surname><given-names>Gauthier</given-names></name><xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff2"><sup>2</sup></xref></contrib><contrib contrib-type="author" xlink:type="simple"><name name-style="western"><surname>Wandera</surname><given-names>Ogana</given-names></name><xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff1"><sup>1</sup></xref></contrib></contrib-group><aff id="aff2"><addr-line>INRIA, Metz and University of Lorraine, Lorraine, France</addr-line></aff><aff id="aff1"><addr-line>School of Mathematics, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya</addr-line></aff><author-notes><corresp id="cor1">* E-mail:<email>jwndirangu@uonbi.ac.ke(JW)</email>;</corresp></author-notes><pub-date pub-type="epub"><day>07</day><month>07</month><year>2014</year></pub-date><volume>05</volume><issue>13</issue><fpage>1913</fpage><lpage>1926</lpage><history><date date-type="received"><day>20</day>	<month>April</month>	<year>2014</year></date><date date-type="rev-recd"><day>26</day>	<month>May</month>	<year>2014</year>	</date><date date-type="accepted"><day>3</day>	<month>June</month>	<year>2014</year></date></history><permissions><copyright-statement>&#169; Copyright  2014 by authors and Scientific Research Publishing Inc. </copyright-statement><copyright-year>2014</copyright-year><license><license-p>This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution International License (CC BY). http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</license-p></license></permissions><abstract><p>
	We answer the stability question of the large scale
SIS model describing transmission of highland malaria in Western Kenya in a
patchy environment, formulated in [1]. There are two equilibrium states and their
stability depends on the basic reproduction number, R<sub>o</sub> [2]. If R<sub>o </sub>≤1, the disease-free steady solution is
globally asymptotically stable and the disease always dies out. If R<sub>o </sub>&gt;1, there exists a unique endemic equilibrium
which is globally stable and the disease persists. Application is done on data
from Western Kenya. The age structure reduces the level of infection and the
populations settle to the equilibrium faster than in the model without age
structure. 
</p></abstract><kwd-group><kwd>Highland Malaria</kwd><kwd> Differentiated Susceptibility and Infectivity</kwd><kwd> Monotone Dynamical Systems</kwd></kwd-group></article-meta></front><body><sec id="s1"><title>1. Introduction</title><p>We recall the large scale system developed in [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.47690-ref1">1</xref>] reduced into a compact form as</p><disp-formula id="scirp.47690-formula474"><label>(1)</label><inline-graphic xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\f10a9d74-a10f-4333-be61-685d2844bb07.png"/></disp-formula><p>where</p><p><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\aac859df-46fe-4767-8e3b-2992fccf843e.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>, is a vector representing; <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\11428fd3-4896-4c9c-9c37-c61739d94127.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>is the proportion of infectious children, <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\fdf260b4-5240-4f8c-b475-fd6d8b5125ba.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>is the proportion of infectious adults, and <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\bd05e375-112c-4394-8106-f27bebf78186.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> is the proportion of infectious mosquitoes.</p><p><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\0548e6ae-503e-4c9e-b4c7-cde1eeae17b8.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>, <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\d8016632-8bb6-4a7a-a95c-c342053e023c.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>and the matrix <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\138a0b63-1ecc-4c52-8bee-c2392d69854f.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> are the matrices.</p><disp-formula id="scirp.47690-formula475"><inline-graphic xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\d5ca8bd3-21cc-4fb4-bffc-8866ea1d5b18.png"/></disp-formula><disp-formula id="scirp.47690-formula476"><inline-graphic xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\d5ca8bd3-21cc-4fb4-bffc-8866ea1d5b18.png"/></disp-formula><disp-formula id="scirp.47690-formula477"><inline-graphic xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\d5ca8bd3-21cc-4fb4-bffc-8866ea1d5b18.png"/></disp-formula><disp-formula id="scirp.47690-formula478"><inline-graphic xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\d5ca8bd3-21cc-4fb4-bffc-8866ea1d5b18.png"/></disp-formula><p>The authors used the preceding matrices and the vector <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\b1f099c4-4dc0-4593-8e55-e77c0375bab1.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> to rewrite Equation (10) in [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.47690-ref1">1</xref>] in a compact form as</p><disp-formula id="scirp.47690-formula479"><label>(2)</label><inline-graphic xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\b13f9616-f03a-4ef5-8856-078e6ec70b13.png"/></disp-formula><p>This system evolves on the unit cube of<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\753d499b-1f85-4e46-91f4-604c5c79ff92.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>.</p><sec id="s1_1"><title>Calculation of the Basic Reproduction Number</title><p>We use the classical framework defined in [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.47690-ref3">3</xref>] [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.47690-ref4">4</xref>] .</p><p>The application <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\e57fd2e2-64a7-4f51-86fd-9003352b1454.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> represents the rate of appearance of new infections in the com- partments in the patches.</p><p>The function <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\cc0f7157-d885-4d49-a49a-3a934ba5db64.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> is the rate of transfer of individuals in compartments.</p><p>If <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\bbcf26e2-b050-4ad3-9af3-450af1f08427.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> is set to zero, system becomes<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\9b049863-2136-4c7d-b206-6e627f62136f.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>, which is a linear system, and we have already seen that <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\b9b4f360-b4e9-4092-b132-dc1bb1ebe5aa.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> is a stable Metzler matrix.</p></sec><sec id="s1_2"><title>Proposition 1.1</title><p>The basic reproduction number of system (1) is</p><disp-formula id="scirp.47690-formula480"><inline-graphic xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\665e5cf1-207f-4770-bbcb-cf2242288bfc.png"/></disp-formula></sec><sec id="s1_3"><title>P#</title><p>This is straightforward since the Jacobian of <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\4c0704ca-e836-43cd-bb9f-8603a37a3c18.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> computed at the DFE <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\15d606aa-6db0-41af-b81d-f2fe32a80436.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> is</p><disp-formula id="scirp.47690-formula481"><inline-graphic xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\50c31745-a002-453d-8434-5508a1397846.png"/></disp-formula><p>and the Jacobian of <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\6f162c1a-f616-46bb-9602-c58a16ac7bf9.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> computed at the DFE is<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\ffcd3177-8294-4f35-8f3a-d4500e16b417.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>.</p><p>The next generation matrix is then <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\a355438f-3d06-49c0-9710-348de143b37a.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> □</p><p>We can develop the expression of <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\d12b92b2-6971-4e4a-8c44-4bc7da12292c.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> further:</p><disp-formula id="scirp.47690-formula482"><label>(3)</label><inline-graphic xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\8f7e9b5a-36cc-4823-a166-ad953383aaca.png"/></disp-formula><disp-formula id="scirp.47690-formula483"><label>(4)</label><inline-graphic xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\ad8d1928-75ba-4b0d-be85-f657e12623c0.png"/></disp-formula><p>Then we can compute the nonnegative matrix<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\d1cf7c09-17d3-4e03-a535-316c5fffff40.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>, which is a lower triangular matrix</p><disp-formula id="scirp.47690-formula484"><inline-graphic xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\847efa91-f7ef-4fa4-8589-918ce8b83d48.png"/></disp-formula><p>with</p><disp-formula id="scirp.47690-formula485"><inline-graphic xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\8aead039-3e33-4289-ab94-d877c2b2adc1.png"/></disp-formula><p>The next generation matrix is a block matrix</p><disp-formula id="scirp.47690-formula486"><inline-graphic xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\118f60b0-bf9f-4189-9356-83165b1f4581.png"/></disp-formula><p>with</p><disp-formula id="scirp.47690-formula487"><inline-graphic xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\9cb06fad-f3cd-4b19-b4d2-9441cce33687.png"/></disp-formula><p>The block structure of <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\85c99c24-a501-4b90-88e4-ac861f0c59bc.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> implies (see [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.47690-ref4">4</xref>] ) that</p><disp-formula id="scirp.47690-formula488"><inline-graphic xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\52f53786-1a52-4a2c-8c79-16958ccb7289.png"/></disp-formula><p>When<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\6f96b433-97db-4824-aa99-420cbb7ba776.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>, the DFE is locally asymptotically stable, and if <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\e170e202-e76b-40fb-a50d-9fd7e7c650bb.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> the DFE is unstable, see [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.47690-ref3">3</xref>] [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.47690-ref4">4</xref>] .</p></sec></sec><sec id="s2"><title>2. Main Result</title><p>In this section we establish a global stability result for the DFE when <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\e11eb0a2-7b0b-4ce5-85b2-2701d01d2f26.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> and a global stability result when<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\389a7afa-a81b-4d44-acaf-0178c7530575.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>. We have the following theorem</p><sec id="s2_1"><title>Theorem 2.1</title><p>We consider the system (1) with the matrix <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\5d8c5bc3-19b5-420f-97c3-31534aa22e8e.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> irreducible.</p><p>Then</p><p>If<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\26288c2b-1e77-4097-85c4-dd56fea2cb39.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>, then the system (1) is globally asymptotically stable at the origin</p><p>If<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\4032f579-cdc7-4108-984b-5b4bec0ab2be.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>, then there exists a unique endemic equilibrium<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\8d29ca65-452b-4733-a2ad-091a442301a9.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>, which is globally asymptotically stable on <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\10d985b0-6ab6-447e-bb76-249ef00b2683.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula></p></sec><sec id="s2_2"><title>P#</title><p>We recall system (1),</p><disp-formula id="scirp.47690-formula489"><inline-graphic xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\8ce7d4a6-34e7-4b9c-96c9-e9a762a1a801.png"/></disp-formula><p>The Jacobian at the origin will be given by</p><disp-formula id="scirp.47690-formula490"><inline-graphic xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\1ae74d07-2bb5-4161-aadf-1ecd022b7d80.png"/></disp-formula><p>and</p><disp-formula id="scirp.47690-formula491"><inline-graphic xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\cad3f33b-88bc-447f-b7b4-66df861d75b7.png"/></disp-formula><p>To prove the first part of the proposition above we assume that <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\337b9c8d-eb91-4596-b2c9-eb13773e36ed.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> Following [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.47690-ref5">5</xref>] , <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\71ec4896-5805-48f3-a63c-ee540cd8faf2.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>is a re- gular splitting of A if B is Metzler stable and<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\be3fc3bc-2efe-4611-b56a-a6aef2e60f82.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>. Thus in our case <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\c30d1a52-fac8-4f6e-ac54-b719a00e2475.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> has to be a stable Metzler matrix which is invertible and<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\1942867d-ac80-446c-a0af-ea09f42805a4.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>, or equivalently, <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\98db87ad-9c8f-4ced-a69d-ee807e3c28cf.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>has to be an M-matrix.</p><p>We know from Thieme [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.47690-ref6">6</xref>] , Driessche [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.47690-ref4">4</xref>] , and Varga [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.47690-ref7">7</xref>] that</p><disp-formula id="scirp.47690-formula492"><inline-graphic xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\aacca31b-a96f-45bc-903b-de1b1b05f202.png"/></disp-formula><p>From the preceding section we know that the Jacobian <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\0d2c610c-e0b8-4229-9675-ed39614567db.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> is an irreducible Metzler matrix. So, by Perron- Frobenius, there exists a positive vector<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\15231475-dce2-45c8-9648-0ddf2c21181e.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>, such that</p><disp-formula id="scirp.47690-formula493"><inline-graphic xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\a2b25ba6-234b-4ee8-bc86-5566c1f7bc0c.png"/></disp-formula><p>To prove the global stability of the DFE we consider the Lyapunov function</p><disp-formula id="scirp.47690-formula494"><inline-graphic xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\cfda9c17-e3f0-4dc5-a6a5-5df8b9ab3405.png"/></disp-formula><p>where <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\cf3723de-137c-4b12-a014-8032358ed625.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> denotes the inner product. From the definition of<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\006b30c4-d84c-4612-a32d-8ab703af9272.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>, this function is actually positive definite in the nonnegative orthant.</p><p>We compute the derivative of <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\68bae70f-64f0-4cd2-9dc0-8bfb68ece418.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> along the trajectories of (1) and find that it is equivalent to</p><disp-formula id="scirp.47690-formula495"><label>(5)</label><inline-graphic xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\1a27f5a4-590e-491e-8cbf-9da51b46e444.png"/></disp-formula><p>We see that<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\0cc09bec-4404-4267-981c-4f2b6d9754ee.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>, it is clear that<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\5c724d3c-874e-49bb-825e-b6aab1e72c93.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>, hence the above inequality.</p><p>Since <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\25ef3757-98a8-4e62-a807-6405db2358a2.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> the derivative is non positive. The DFE is stable.</p><p>We will prove the asymptotic stability when <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\b2d295a7-d619-4993-9290-12226a229c00.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula></p><p>First we consider the case when<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\3da1c52a-1465-4f24-bdd4-98ddb49a7c4b.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>. Since we know that <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\a2fd367a-806e-4248-8c89-199f173cd035.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> implies<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\63aa32e7-dee5-4383-9de3-3934a5bee4fa.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>, <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\f2e6fb21-c7dd-4554-8d84-b6da9a549136.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>is negative de- finite, since<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\6b86994d-b245-46fa-aa2d-267dbf06bec5.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>. This proves the asymptotic stability of the DFE.</p><p>When<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\a01a8847-fbd4-429b-8d3a-6244de574412.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>, we consider the largest invariant set contained in the set</p><disp-formula id="scirp.47690-formula496"><inline-graphic xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\de7823cb-2ed1-4761-bf0d-1ab8ec05a01e.png"/></disp-formula><p>For such an <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\9134ddc2-51cd-4b1f-9148-8037c45a0c93.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> we have</p><disp-formula id="scirp.47690-formula497"><inline-graphic xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\d9b45051-503c-46ee-9c61-1ba96223f464.png"/></disp-formula><p>but since<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\40eea6de-070b-4489-b1c0-78ac2748c480.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>, we have by the inequality (5),</p><disp-formula id="scirp.47690-formula498"><inline-graphic xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\1aef4964-985f-4596-b21b-b5f63b8af687.png"/></disp-formula><p>Hence</p><disp-formula id="scirp.47690-formula499"><inline-graphic xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\a12fd475-36af-4916-a623-d6df6b4bfc02.png"/></disp-formula><p>Since <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\a7a4db31-2c12-47ed-a671-0a56784efa1d.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> then <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\9fad1a01-4c77-4f36-9ebd-02a796dd0fa6.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> or equivalently <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\e209f688-22f1-4205-97c8-83ffd7dca158.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula></p><p>Now we show that the largest invariant set in <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\0dd825b0-0e17-466e-aba6-a6330f29ef9c.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> is reduced to the origin.</p><disp-formula id="scirp.47690-formula500"><inline-graphic xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\1814e178-fa2a-4f7d-93c8-226546394a37.png"/></disp-formula><p>We must have, for any index<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\3888f6f8-565f-4dc3-b8d9-a1f45acf0d97.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>, <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\1736734c-58d2-40b4-b435-e27a19b4f3ab.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>and <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\d5baf1d0-1bba-4b3d-918b-9de7cb9d0158.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula></p><p>Suppose <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\4af4bbac-42b8-4fcf-95f6-e8a76ccb53cf.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> since</p><disp-formula id="scirp.47690-formula501"><inline-graphic xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\4cf0b1df-2421-4484-a8a1-7f3149b547ea.png"/></disp-formula><p>we have</p><disp-formula id="scirp.47690-formula502"><inline-graphic xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\6a3a1561-d9b5-4ba5-91a8-0e94671421d2.png"/></disp-formula><p>Then <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\81e8795e-9597-4f43-aeab-02f55402813c.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> and <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\6d5bbde6-9f05-4c9a-864d-19bf673e501c.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> for any patch<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\863beea8-63c8-4e9a-afcb-02a833327305.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>, with a “children” arc leaving <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\c8f9768f-5ba1-44d0-b6ec-82a9900caf0a.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> and entering<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\46841605-4a23-4878-8190-f383f4cfdcd8.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>.</p><p>Since <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\3861d786-35b7-40d5-adff-c1481a7cae40.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> and <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\c3965707-fe67-4824-b618-898b00a24c85.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> and since</p><disp-formula id="scirp.47690-formula503"><inline-graphic xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\93fd3398-e064-481a-a21c-d506b99d7eb6.png"/></disp-formula><p>we have</p><disp-formula id="scirp.47690-formula504"><inline-graphic xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\c1e7db60-40c8-4180-ad66-ceba1d607eaf.png"/></disp-formula><p>Again <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\5fc758fd-363f-4f0a-a4bc-3c2bb2022661.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> and <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\0205945e-00e1-4621-ae23-78c76d0a3325.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> for any patch <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\75b35360-3046-4f97-a1cc-62d6c4a00b86.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> with a “mosquito” arc leaving <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\f579fdb8-b2c0-448d-9680-8f187f7b5f64.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> and entering<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\884bc193-a14a-4bfd-867c-a272d603738c.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>.</p><p>Now <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\26fc1e40-9582-4e4e-9829-4a4cb6900abc.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> implies</p><disp-formula id="scirp.47690-formula505"><inline-graphic xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\9a8f2949-1de7-40bb-b95f-e5da7afb011f.png"/></disp-formula><p>which implies that <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\c5994ae0-cc88-4041-b70c-11ce1418f625.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> for any patch with a “adult” arc leaving <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\f94cafb9-8a57-4e9d-834e-cd21b93a1c6f.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> and entering<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\bf886ba8-4d3e-46d9-91f4-458bb086c2ae.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>.</p><p>Now, since any patch can be reached by a path composed of “children”, “adult” or “mosquito” arcs, this proves that <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\2cf94485-1a62-4b18-80d1-e43035fd89ae.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> for any index.</p><p>This ends the proof for the global asymptotic stability of the DFE from LaSalle’s Invariance Principle [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.47690-ref8">8</xref>] .</p><p>To prove the second part of our theorem, when<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\2606309c-b662-496f-b7fa-cde7b91c24f4.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>, we need the following theorem from [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.47690-ref9">9</xref>] .</p></sec><sec id="s2_3"><title>Theorem 2.2</title><p>Let <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\398dd4c8-4170-485c-b727-08ac282268d7.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> be a <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\8cf66e46-28c0-41cc-b1e3-e42f30965a73.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> vector field in<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\d5aaa5ec-9ccf-44e8-89bf-babdf50488e2.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>, whose flow <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\da2ae4be-a7a0-43b5-95fa-eafc3e6d8c53.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> preserves <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\97d8dc8a-33b3-4a2d-9670-73f0a0c25b01.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> for <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\c862db47-0317-42b8-9da9-eeba4b6c384a.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> and is strongly monotone in<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\f3eb5df1-67f0-46f0-9a14-d89370dfab9c.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>. Assume that the origin is an equilibrium and that all trajectories in <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\822f6d33-2398-4c53-884e-7f5f51f7f8e6.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> are bounded. Suppose the matrix- valued map <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\51a75d38-86b5-49ab-a33f-771dc6eb3e2e.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> is strictly anti monotone, in the sense that,</p><disp-formula id="scirp.47690-formula506"><inline-graphic xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\a90638e6-4e04-4e22-8c2a-46170b98e2b2.png"/></disp-formula><p>then either all the trajectories in <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\39f50895-b5cd-40ee-ad2d-f2690e0d28a7.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> tend to the origin, or else there is a unique equilibrium  <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\3b95b9a2-b39b-4d95-90cb-6dc82a6fd163.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> and all the trajectories in <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\aaf351e5-9ae8-489a-bc08-f9d3d2b66bf7.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> tend to<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\16d5bcdd-2ce6-4ca0-9f38-27449dc40bae.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>.</p><p>For our case we shall consider the positively invariant set<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\c093d76f-d90c-4fce-b3bb-8c9873058fab.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>, which is diffeomorphic to the nonnegative orthant<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\42928180-56cd-45d9-8d0c-45e6c8a835c9.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>. Since the faces of the cube of type <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\ac9a33d6-bbcb-4d80-b096-d7d80edb2594.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> are repulsive for the vector field associated to (1), all the trajectories are bounded in<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\3f4fb888-15c5-42e9-804d-52ef94164c24.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>.</p><p>We recall system 1.</p><disp-formula id="scirp.47690-formula507"><inline-graphic xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\ecc66c58-0277-44a9-b48e-62170cb77b03.png"/></disp-formula><p>If we take<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\751c3d1a-eb14-466a-96a1-52595928ae65.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>, then</p><disp-formula id="scirp.47690-formula508"><inline-graphic xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\f5f27dca-cfba-463b-a320-7e349e92b8a4.png"/></disp-formula><p>Clearly</p><disp-formula id="scirp.47690-formula509"><inline-graphic xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\ca15db9b-9cad-4978-940f-0dcc8467643b.png"/></disp-formula><p>since the quantities are positive.</p><p>Now we prove that</p><disp-formula id="scirp.47690-formula510"><inline-graphic xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\4269382c-ebe9-4546-ac87-84f6381d3ee7.png"/></disp-formula><p>and hence show that the system is strongly monotone. That is</p><disp-formula id="scirp.47690-formula511"><inline-graphic xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\c387e263-97bc-44f4-9fa6-478c825f905f.png"/></disp-formula><p>or</p><disp-formula id="scirp.47690-formula512"><inline-graphic xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\a388cd68-ca0a-4032-a2a8-dc4f80b2cf0c.png"/></disp-formula><p>Considering the structure of <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\4e9ea58d-5967-4c0e-b647-5c28984277ca.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> and <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\af6eb7d9-c43a-4806-8bd6-fbc796d10dc7.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> and having <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\1cdd6cab-8823-4ccd-80b7-2a86cfbec3ce.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> in <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\29228509-b9ed-4bd4-8091-2fe9b0590848.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> and the fact that a sign change re- verses the inequality, then</p><disp-formula id="scirp.47690-formula513"><inline-graphic xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\36b4298d-70e5-44b0-889b-421b3fba76fe.png"/></disp-formula><p>hence</p><disp-formula id="scirp.47690-formula514"><inline-graphic xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\ee739121-2a55-4c5f-bc49-6205535b81d3.png"/></disp-formula><p>To prove that theorem, we recall the Jacobian <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\6bb771c0-a2b2-4ad0-bbd2-4aadda95ba16.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> of system (1)</p><disp-formula id="scirp.47690-formula515"><inline-graphic xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\bb698c96-09ab-495b-adb7-97bf1e31833f.png"/></disp-formula><p>Again for any <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\d5777fc4-3449-4968-a3d8-ce2cfeb317fe.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> , then<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\1473f8bd-0ce9-4b6e-ba0a-aa94a4833131.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>. Since the matrix <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\dac74def-efe8-485e-8525-c400a57b1964.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> has on each row a positive term, since <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\aaaa305c-0a5c-4a3a-8c9e-24ef558830a6.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> is a diagonal matrix with positive terms, we deduce</p><disp-formula id="scirp.47690-formula516"><inline-graphic xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\a6364830-6127-4d3a-9a22-13c7c2b7c97f.png"/></disp-formula><p>Considering the structure of <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\82fe80c8-81c6-4035-85dc-a1d8d6bfb4d5.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> we have, if<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\4887a590-7a4e-4567-9882-3319b5efccda.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>, the relation <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\e2aae38a-f7b2-4aa2-89b1-9ddd99cd95cd.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> holds and consequently  <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\ed66aac1-bd7a-409c-adba-72baa5dde136.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>.</p><p>Finally we have<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\b0511948-905e-4f1d-9a0d-d4b7e854eede.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>, therefore the anti monotone criteria is met.</p><p>We will prove that no trajectory tends to the origin.</p><p>We have <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\c93b90a7-f2e4-4f34-8069-f7fc9524115c.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> which is equivalent to<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\8d07fec1-4270-46b5-95e4-3d0cd551ae66.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>. Then there exists a positive vector <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\a87983b0-9feb-4c1d-9fa7-07c27e737ef4.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> such that</p><disp-formula id="scirp.47690-formula517"><inline-graphic xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\0203a8a6-0086-471e-95af-645e32dab061.png"/></disp-formula><p>We consider the Chetaev function on a neighborhood of the origin</p><disp-formula id="scirp.47690-formula518"><inline-graphic xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\0ab57882-07c5-49fb-8193-edd28ab2fe34.png"/></disp-formula><p>An simple computation gives</p><disp-formula id="scirp.47690-formula519"><inline-graphic xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\a0527ec6-d086-4229-9a92-1c7d54ea2cf0.png"/></disp-formula><p>Then in a sufficiently small neighborhood of the origin, in<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\1c10e725-5571-4f4f-96d3-90717c778e72.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>,<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\e9c5833c-69bd-40d1-8e60-9942486965db.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>. This proves that for <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\040d409c-f3da-400c-9edb-2c8a77aabfb8.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> sufficiently small, the hyperplane <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\9147382d-e94a-47b6-bdb6-97a892c50040.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> is a barrier for the vector field associated to (1). This proves that no trajectory tends to the origin. Then we conclude, by Hirsch theorem, the existence of an attractive en- demic equilibrium <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\563ca4f1-31c9-4e86-8237-812e214a9099.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> in the interior of the cube.</p><p>To prove stability, we shall compute<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\9883ac4b-e265-4103-bc1a-7cb2f17da61e.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>:</p><disp-formula id="scirp.47690-formula520"><inline-graphic xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\e4094bb1-793a-4952-a234-f90fe1af28e2.png"/></disp-formula><p>Taking into account that <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\5e07da64-3c96-421b-b935-63110b0bad1b.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> is an equilibrium gives</p><disp-formula id="scirp.47690-formula521"><inline-graphic xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\c502dd0a-95c4-4ce8-a608-a1690f5723ea.png"/></disp-formula><p>therefore</p><disp-formula id="scirp.47690-formula522"><inline-graphic xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\3dd7d35f-c822-4e23-9c64-39a0005cb253.png"/></disp-formula><p>since <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\20e7f17b-17fa-4283-9024-d6be44da511b.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula></p><p>We have proved that there exists a vector <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\4b887a67-4cf1-4215-b1b7-db6a1dea2bdb.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> such that for the Metzler matrix <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\a4431f7b-9019-42f5-aa1b-292be00ee0a8.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> we have<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\9050dd1c-8438-498b-93e6-b1c0fbe5d19b.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>. This implies that <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\66e52e64-89ee-403e-bd55-23f62206a14f.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> is Hurwitz [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.47690-ref10">10</xref>] [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.47690-ref11">11</xref>] .</p><p>This completes the proof of the global asymptotic stability of the endemic equilibrium.</p></sec></sec><sec id="s3"><title>3. An Example in Two Patches</title><p>In this section we give a result to the case of two patches. We shall use the structure defined in Subsection 1.1.</p><disp-formula id="scirp.47690-formula523"><inline-graphic xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\321d6fb7-b16c-45b7-bc87-f09d61981c7a.png"/></disp-formula><p>The basic reproduction number is given by <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\7113641d-d3b6-442a-b553-cb8ef678fb73.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> From our example and at the DFE, this matrix is de- fined by <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\91884de8-a6d1-4fd3-9afc-e18d6544c075.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula></p><p>which has the values</p><disp-formula id="scirp.47690-formula524"><inline-graphic xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\c6bb4668-e511-4eb0-aea7-c47b59b0a8f3.png"/></disp-formula><p>where</p><p><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\411181ca-9e87-47e0-8066-b3269e898ec8.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>,<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\48ff4940-5cdd-4d77-80cd-08522dfd977f.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>. To get the basic reproduction num-</p><p>ber we need to solve <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\43404cd1-0531-4415-b643-686631f8110b.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> which is a <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\c2d2dc5f-0f5f-4426-877b-3c41e1099072.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> matrix. Rewriting the matrix in the form</p><disp-formula id="scirp.47690-formula525"><inline-graphic xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\6cee9470-ba40-4e88-835c-921831f043b0.png"/></disp-formula><p>The determinant of <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\31b816d3-52c4-4c3e-acb0-72f7a02e0d8b.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> is given by</p><disp-formula id="scirp.47690-formula526"><inline-graphic xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\b42bd16e-a060-4595-9b14-1305df06bd8f.png"/></disp-formula><p>Using the properties of determinants we have</p><disp-formula id="scirp.47690-formula527"><inline-graphic xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\427abee6-647c-46ec-ba26-15453c3e502e.png"/></disp-formula><p>We see after some calculation, that</p><disp-formula id="scirp.47690-formula528"><inline-graphic xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\00befe64-df12-4a86-a3fd-1f12b0d71452.png"/></disp-formula><p>where</p><disp-formula id="scirp.47690-formula529"><inline-graphic xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\abad96d0-d060-4873-9477-df52f891ccc3.png"/></disp-formula><disp-formula id="scirp.47690-formula530"><inline-graphic xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\abad96d0-d060-4873-9477-df52f891ccc3.png"/></disp-formula><p>The expression for<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\2bfa762a-f05a-4a9f-8902-7b79f7244010.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>, is complex due to the large number of parameters involved, but from the expression of the matrices A and B above, we can gain some insight. For example if there is no human migration between the two patches, then <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\5d747737-433f-4a51-a45b-b22cf4521ba9.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> and</p><disp-formula id="scirp.47690-formula531"><inline-graphic xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\07da0fea-8eea-4282-ac27-af89c6675e7e.png"/></disp-formula><p>where</p><disp-formula id="scirp.47690-formula532"><inline-graphic xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\4b4edb89-0864-4cb3-b553-6cef26f7820e.png"/></disp-formula><p>This is the product of the maximum basic reproduction number for patch 1 and patch 2.</p><p>If there is no infective vectors in patch 2, and no vector migration, then<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\17180cd1-e149-4735-874e-cb1e069b1f36.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>, and</p><disp-formula id="scirp.47690-formula533"><inline-graphic xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\e41c4583-084e-4b8e-b7e7-a6211a61b6a3.png"/></disp-formula><p>which is the total children and adult contribution to<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\790fa8ff-eef7-4f75-b0f8-a87d7bb19696.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>.</p><p>It is clear that this new value of the basic reproduction number highly depends on the migration rates of the two age groups. If we increase the migration rates then <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\6882750e-b9a4-4922-8f20-297ade958c82.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> increases.</p><p>Biologically, this implies that back and forth movement between the patches, would introduce malaria in- fection in an otherwise malaria free patch.</p></sec><sec id="s4"><title>4. Simulation</title><p>In this section we obtain baseline values for two sites: the U-shaped valleys and V-shaped valleys. and use them to simulate equation 1, which is a compact form of equation 5 in [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.47690-ref1">1</xref>] . For the human population in our model, we consider two patches, Umutete and Iguhu for the U-shaped valleys, and, Marani and Fort Tenan for the V-shap- ed valleys. From the study on the different ecosystems, the plateaus and the U-shaped valleys ecosystem have the characteristic, such that the results for the V-shaped valleys apply to the plateau ecosystem. This results from the fact that on the plateaus, the terraine is characterised by raised but flat topography with very little stag- nant water as the water darains down the rivers, to support breeding places for mosquitoes. The only notable differen- ces is where there are large water bodies like dams and reservoirs. In these cases high mosquito population is likely to survive and hence increase malaria transmission and infection. Some suitable references for our values are [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.47690-ref12">12</xref>] -[<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.47690-ref16">16</xref>] .</p><p>Data for<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\90c40541-4aab-4d4f-aee2-0c98f75d8249.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>, and <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\1d86cead-7023-47fe-b20c-d6b4ae9433ef.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> was estimated to be 10000 people and we assume that the population is evenly distibuted to the two patches so that we have 5000 people on each patch (1500 children and 3500 adults for each ecosystem). The mosquito population likewise was estimated to be 80,000 mosquitoes in the U-shaped valleys and 10,000 mosquitoes in the V-shaped valleys.</p><p>The summary of the parameter values used is given in <xref ref-type="table" rid="table1">Table 1</xref>.</p><sec id="s4_1"><title>4.1. The U-Shaped Valley Sites: Iguhu and Umutete, When <img src="htmlimages\8-7402079x\089f8fde-1d42-4bc2-8c1c-6c9dbd3e58aa.png" width="123.75" height="41.25" /></title><p>When the age structuring is considered, the dynamics of the host population in the U-shaped valleys is re- presented on <xref ref-type="fig" rid="fig1">Figure 1</xref>. When there is no age structuring, the dynamics for the U-shaped valleys are shown in <xref ref-type="fig" rid="fig2">Figure 2</xref>. If we consider the U-shaped and the V-shaped valleys as one epidemiological region representing Western Kenya, then the dynamics are represented by <xref ref-type="fig" rid="fig3">Figure 3</xref>. The disease in the age structured model fades out faster. The steady states also settle to the endemic equilibrium faster.</p><p>If there is no spatialization the values for the U-shaped valleys for both ecosystems has host population vari- ation represented on <xref ref-type="fig" rid="fig3">Figure 3</xref>. The interaction between the patches raises infection rate, so that the disease per- sists in the total population, while it fades out fast when the patches are isolated.</p></sec><sec id="s4_2"><title>4.2. The V-Shaped Valley Sites: Fort Tenan and Marani, <img src="htmlimages\8-7402079x\1d6d9939-477c-43b5-ba5c-9915fd89b3cb.png" width="123.75" height="41.25" /></title><p>The dynamics of the model in the V-shaped valleys sites with age structure is given by <xref ref-type="fig" rid="fig4">Figure 4</xref>. When the age structuring is ignored the variation of the host population in the V-shaped valleys is represented by <xref ref-type="fig" rid="fig5">Figure 5</xref>.</p></sec></sec><sec id="s5"><title>5. Conclusions</title><p>Highland malaria in Western Kenya remains a source of mortality and morbidity. Concerned efforts have been put in place by the stakeholders to bring the disease under control with less than expected results. This study</p><table-wrap id="table1"  position="float"><object-id pub-id-type="pii">Table 1</object-id><label>Table 1</label><caption><p>. Parameter values and ranges for System 1 and Equation (5) in [1] </p></caption><table><thead><tr><th align="center" valign="middle" >Parameter</th><th align="center" valign="middle" >U-Shaped valleys</th><th align="center" valign="middle" >V-shaped valleys</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td align="center" valign="middle" ></td><td align="center" valign="middle" >0.52</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >0.42</td></tr><tr><td align="center" valign="middle" ></td><td align="center" valign="middle" >0.15</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >0.12</td></tr><tr><td align="center" valign="middle" ></td><td align="center" valign="middle" >0.011</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >0.08</td></tr><tr><td align="center" valign="middle" ></td><td align="center" valign="middle" >0.011</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >0.08</td></tr><tr><td align="center" valign="middle" ></td><td align="center" valign="middle" >0.048</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >0.24</td></tr><tr><td align="center" valign="middle" ></td><td align="center" valign="middle" >0.024</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >0.018</td></tr><tr><td align="center" valign="middle" ></td><td align="center" valign="middle" >0.079</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >0.059</td></tr><tr><td align="center" valign="middle" ></td><td align="center" valign="middle" >0.033</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >0.033</td></tr><tr><td align="center" valign="middle" ></td><td align="center" valign="middle" >0.033</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >0.033</td></tr><tr><td align="center" valign="middle" ></td><td align="center" valign="middle" >0.000283</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >0.000283</td></tr><tr><td align="center" valign="middle" ></td><td align="center" valign="middle" >0.08</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >0.08</td></tr><tr><td align="center" valign="middle" ></td><td align="center" valign="middle" >0.08</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >0.08</td></tr><tr><td align="center" valign="middle" ></td><td align="center" valign="middle" >0.5</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >0.5</td></tr><tr><td align="center" valign="middle" ></td><td align="center" valign="middle" >0.5</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >0.5</td></tr><tr><td align="center" valign="middle" ></td><td align="center" valign="middle" >0.02</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >0.02</td></tr><tr><td align="center" valign="middle" ></td><td align="center" valign="middle" >0.02</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >0.02</td></tr><tr><td align="center" valign="middle" ></td><td align="center" valign="middle" >0.0035</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >0.0035</td></tr><tr><td align="center" valign="middle" ></td><td align="center" valign="middle" >0.0035</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >0.0035</td></tr><tr><td align="center" valign="middle" ></td><td align="center" valign="middle" >0.04</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >0.04</td></tr><tr><td align="center" valign="middle" ></td><td align="center" valign="middle" >0.13</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >0.07</td></tr><tr><td align="center" valign="middle" ></td><td align="center" valign="middle" >1500</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >1500</td></tr><tr><td align="center" valign="middle" ></td><td align="center" valign="middle" >3500</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >3500</td></tr></tbody></table></table-wrap><fig id="fig1"><label>Figure 1</label><caption><p> A numerical simulation for the variation of the two age classes population using Equation (1) and parameter values defined in Table 1 for the U-shaped valleys system with<img src="htmlimages\8-7402079x\1efb7460-c55c-4ebc-85d7-46ac807dc0d1.png" width="96.25" height="36.25" /></p></caption><graphic xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\21cfb1ff-e734-4acb-a010-3158f981ce88.png"/></fig><fig id="fig2"><label>Figure 2</label><caption><p> A numerical simulation of Equation (1) no age class in the population and<img src="htmlimages\8-7402079x\fa0c2460-65f8-4a3d-a7f3-2600612abf2a.png" width="96.25" height="36.25" /></p></caption><graphic xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\8020367e-3b00-4bda-bba0-359fc51c3299.png"/></fig><p>captures important factors key to endemicity of of malaria in Western Kenya, which could direct control mea- sure and targets effectively.</p><p>Age structure helps us differentiate between child’s infectivity and susceptibility to malaria infection. It is clear from Balls [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.47690-ref17">17</xref>] that children are a significant source of mosquito infection compared to adults. The biting rate for the two age groups differs [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.47690-ref18">18</xref>] [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.47690-ref19">19</xref>] as children are bitten more than adults did. The other difference captured in the model is death rates for the children (which may include malaria induced deaths). Most malaria deaths occur in children under the age of five years. While the adults also suffer morbidity due to severe in-</p><fig id="fig3"><label>Figure 3</label><caption><p> The variation of the total population in the region, no age class and the two ecosystems are treated as a single U-shaped valley ecosystem</p></caption><graphic xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\bd359824-a443-473e-b456-034e40b54786.png"/></fig><fig id="fig4"><label>Figure 4</label><caption><p> A numerical simulation of model 1 using parameter values defined in Table 1 for the V-shaped valleys ecosystem with age structure. In this case<img src="htmlimages\8-7402079x\981d9901-ac22-46fd-a004-11c5a08d0486.png" width="128.75" height="36.25" /></p></caption><graphic xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\76d6d7d2-dc15-4742-bf63-f0a3e45cd52b.png"/></fig><p>fection of highland malaria, there are fewer deaths due to acquired immunity compared to children. We note that the populations settle to the endemic equilibrium faster than in the age-structured than in the unstructured sys- tem as shown in <xref ref-type="fig" rid="fig5">Figure 5</xref>, and the stable equilibrium is achieved faster in the structured than the unstructured system. Adding age structure allows age specific control strategies to reduce disease prevalence.</p><p>Our model suggests that a suitable model for malaria should be one that captures: age structure; differen- tiated patch or region susceptibility, which depends on the immunity of the inhabiting population; differentiated infectivity, which also depends on the immunity and age of the host population, and the mosquito population</p><fig id="fig5"><label>Figure 5</label><caption><p> A numerical simulation of model 1 using parameter values defined in Table 1 for the V-shaped valleys ecosystem without age structure. In this case<img src="htmlimages\8-7402079x\07e4b129-72d5-4031-a801-176b993450f4.png" width="128.75" height="36.25" />, A numeri- cal simulation of model 1 using parameter values defined in Table 1 for the V-shaped valleys ecosystem. The is no age structures in the populations. In this case<img src="htmlimages\8-7402079x\cfb366f7-1953-4bb4-babd-aa7765ecf700.png" width="128.75" height="36.25" /></p></caption><graphic xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\d6c44539-d984-431c-b22e-178607be97f8.png"/></fig><p>dynamics. Intervention then can be done with guidance from the model.</p><p>A more comprehensive characterization of results would have to include other types of patches that may not be terraine related but have different epidemiological characteristics from the U-shaped and the V-shaped val- leys. Such patches could take care of cities like Nairobi, where human migration has transferred malaria, and central Kenya where the cool highland ecosystem is disturbed by creation of dams for irrigation, rice cultivation, climate change and migration of population to the economically endowed part of the county. Adding age struc- ture allows age specific control strategies to reduce disease prevalence.</p><p>We assumed that vectors migrate especially to nearby patches, and the migration parameters for hosts are con- stant, similar and independent of the compartment. For the compartments that are far apart, the migration of mo- squitoes is negligible and is set to zero, since the mosquitoes are only able to fly about 2 kilometers away.</p><p>An explicit formula for <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\f689228c-41cc-4b25-b7b8-ceb8dfdb8dcc.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> is obtained, which although complex due to the infinite number of patches, can be used to explore the effects of the parameters of the model. This formula will allow theoretical exploration of the options and efficiency of targeted public health intervention policies. The example in the two ecosystems simplifies the expression for<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\60ebae57-51eb-4d0d-8f35-b73b9a512461.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>, which we use to simulate our model with some realistic data from Western Kenya. This parameter is inversely related to migration of the hosts between the patches. This implies that to re- duce<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\07b4975a-9a6e-4e8b-bacc-a9407995049f.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>, we have to i) administer effective treatment through provision of proper health care facilities in both patches, ii) promote drug adherence, iii) reduce malaria drugs abuse through self administration to shorten the infectious period and arrest human to mosquito infection, hence increase the rate of recovery represented by<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\efe20bae-3593-43f2-89d6-863cee3bdd33.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>.</p><p>An example in two patches is given with an expression of <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\8-7402079x\3a15bcfd-48ed-4015-b377-e8dec2e71780.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> which is still complex; but insight is given in a case when no migration takes place. If the disease exists in one patch, with the back and forth movement, the disease in the otherwise free patch would be reintroduced. We want to mention that an example in three patches is also possible, but meaningful insight for the basic reproduction number may only be gained by simulation, with relevant data. This model can be extended to include intervention strategies by the Ministry of health in Kenya, through ITNs and IRS. Since the disease causes death especially in children, the model can also include disease related death rate in the human population. An important factor which is under investigation is the im- pact of climate related factors to the resurgent epidemics. Resistance of vectors to ITNs and IRS is also an im- portant factor which may cause the disease to remain a menace in the region, not to mention the possibility of drugs resistance in human and possible emergence if new malaria strains.</p><p>So far, we have formulated an analytical and numerical analysis which is a foundation of more research and also applicable to other vector borne disease like chikungunya [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.47690-ref20">20</xref>] .</p></sec><sec id="s6"><title>Acknowledgements</title><p>We wish to acknowledge of the Inria Metz, UMMISCO(IRD), the French Embassy in Nairobi and the university of Nairobi, Kenya, for their financial, logistic and moral, support during the writing of this article. We are very grateful to Dr. Githeko, KEMRI Kisumu for the great insight and literature he gave us during this study.</p></sec></body><back><ref-list><title>References</title><ref id="scirp.47690-ref1"><label>1</label><mixed-citation publication-type="other" xlink:type="simple">JOSEPHINE, W.K., GAUTHIER, S. AND OGANA, W. (2013) FORMULATION OF A VECTOR SIS MALARIA MODEL IN A PATCHY ENVIRONMENT WITH TWO AGE CLASSES. APPLIED MATHEMATICS, 222, 4444.</mixed-citation></ref><ref id="scirp.47690-ref2"><label>2</label><mixed-citation publication-type="journal" xlink:type="simple"><name name-style="western"><surname>DIEKMANN</surname><given-names> O.</given-names></name>,<name name-style="western"><surname> HEESTERBEEK</surname><given-names> J.A.P. </given-names></name>,<name name-style="western"><surname> METZ</surname><given-names> J.A.J. </given-names></name>,<etal>et al</etal>. (<year>1990</year>)<article-title>ON THE DEFINITION AND THE COMPUTATION OF THE BASIC REPRODUCTION RATIO R0 IN MODELS FOR INFECTIOUS DISEASES IN HETEROGENEOUS POPULATIONS</article-title><source>. JOURNAL OF MATHEMATICAL BIOLOGY</source><volume> 28</volume>,<fpage> 365</fpage>-<lpage>382</lpage>.<pub-id pub-id-type="doi">HTTP://DX.DOI.ORG/10.1007/BF00178324</pub-id></mixed-citation></ref><ref id="scirp.47690-ref3"><label>3</label><mixed-citation publication-type="other" xlink:type="simple">DIEKMANN, O. AND HEESTERBEEK, J.A.P. (2000) MATHEMATICAL EPIDEMIOLOGY OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES IN MATHEMATICAL AND COMPUTATIONAL BIOLOGY. WILEY SERIES, HOBOKEN.</mixed-citation></ref><ref id="scirp.47690-ref4"><label>4</label><mixed-citation publication-type="journal" xlink:type="simple"><name name-style="western"><surname>VAN DEN DRIESSCHE</surname><given-names> P. </given-names></name>,<name name-style="western"><surname> WATMOUGH</surname><given-names> J. </given-names></name>,<etal>et al</etal>. (<year>2002</year>)<article-title>REPRODUCTION NUMBERS AND SUBTHRESHOLD ENDEMIC EQUILIBRIA FOR COMPARTMENTAL MODELS OF DISEASE TRANSMISSION</article-title><source>. MATHEMATICAL BIOSCIENCES</source><volume> 180</volume>,<fpage> 29</fpage>-<lpage>48</lpage>.<pub-id pub-id-type="doi">HTTP://DX.DOI.ORG/10.1016/S0025-5564(02)00108-6</pub-id></mixed-citation></ref><ref id="scirp.47690-ref5"><label>5</label><mixed-citation publication-type="other" xlink:type="simple">VARGA, R.S. (1962) MATRIX ITERATIVE ANALYSIS. PRENTICE-HALL, UPPER SADDLE RIVER.</mixed-citation></ref><ref id="scirp.47690-ref6"><label>6</label><mixed-citation publication-type="journal" xlink:type="simple"><name name-style="western"><surname>THIEME</surname><given-names> H.R. </given-names></name>,<etal>et al</etal>. (<year>2009</year>)<article-title>SPECTRAL BOUND AND REPRODUCTION NUMBER FOR INFINITE-DIMENSIONAL POPULATION STRUCTURE AND TIME-HETEROGENEITY</article-title><source>. SIAM JOURNAL ON APPLIED MATHEMATICS</source><volume> 70</volume>,<fpage> 188</fpage>-<lpage>211</lpage>.<pub-id pub-id-type="doi">HTTP://DX.DOI.ORG/10.1137/080732870</pub-id></mixed-citation></ref><ref id="scirp.47690-ref7"><label>7</label><mixed-citation publication-type="other" xlink:type="simple">VARGA, R.S. (1960) FACTORISATION AND NORMALISED ITERATIVE METHODS BOUNDARY PROBLEMS IN DIFFERENTIAL EQUATION. UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN PRESS, MADISON.</mixed-citation></ref><ref id="scirp.47690-ref8"><label>8</label><mixed-citation publication-type="other" xlink:type="simple">LA SALLE, J.P. (1976) THE STABILITY OF DYNAMICAL SYSTEMS. SOCIETY FOR INDUSTRIAL AND APPLIED MATHEMATICS. REGIONAL CONFERENCE SERIES IN APPLIED MATHEMATICS.</mixed-citation></ref><ref id="scirp.47690-ref9"><label>9</label><mixed-citation publication-type="journal" xlink:type="simple"><name name-style="western"><surname>HIRSCH</surname><given-names> M.W. </given-names></name>,<etal>et al</etal>. (<year>1982</year>)<article-title>SYSTEMS OF DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS THAT ARE COMPETITIVE OR COOPERATIVE: I. LIMIT SETS</article-title><source>. SIAM JOURNAL ON MATHEMATICAL ANALYSIS</source><volume> 13</volume>,<fpage> 167</fpage>-<lpage>179</lpage>.<pub-id pub-id-type="doi">HTTP://DX.DOI.ORG/10.1137/0513013</pub-id></mixed-citation></ref><ref id="scirp.47690-ref10"><label>10</label><mixed-citation publication-type="other" xlink:type="simple">BERMAN, A. AND PLEMMONS, R.J. (1994) NONNEGATIVE MATRICES IN THE MATHEMATICAL SCIENCES, VOLUME 9 OF CLASSICS IN APPLIED MATHEMATICS. SOCIETY FOR INDUSTRIAL AND APPLIED MATHEMATICS (SIAM), PHILADELPHIA.</mixed-citation></ref><ref id="scirp.47690-ref11"><label>11</label><mixed-citation publication-type="other" xlink:type="simple">HIRSCH, H.W. AND SMITH, H.L. (2005) MONOTONE DYNAMICAL SYSTEMS. IN: HANDBOOK OF DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS: ORDINARY DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS, VOL. II, ELSEVIER B. V., AMSTERDAM, 239-357.</mixed-citation></ref><ref id="scirp.47690-ref12"><label>12</label><mixed-citation publication-type="journal" xlink:type="simple"><name name-style="western"><surname>CHITNIS</surname><given-names> N.</given-names></name>,<name name-style="western"><surname> HYMAN</surname><given-names> J.M. </given-names></name>,<name name-style="western"><surname> CUSHING</surname><given-names> J.M. </given-names></name>,<etal>et al</etal>. (<year>2008</year>)<article-title>DETERMINING IMPORTANT PARAMETERS IN THE SPREAD OF MALARIA THROUGH THE SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS OF A MATHEMATICAL MODEL</article-title><source>. BULLETIN OF MATHEMATICAL BIOLOGY</source><volume> 70</volume>,<fpage> 1272</fpage>-<lpage>1296</lpage>.<pub-id pub-id-type="doi">HTTP://DX.DOI.ORG/10.1007/S11538-008-9299-0</pub-id></mixed-citation></ref><ref id="scirp.47690-ref13"><label>13</label><mixed-citation publication-type="other" xlink:type="simple">GITHEKO, A.K., BRANDING-BENNET, D., BEIER, M., ATIELI, F., OWAGA, M. AND COLLINS, F.H. (1992) THE RESERVOIR OF PLASMODIUM FALCIPARUM MALARIA IN A HOLOENDEMIC AREA OF WESTERN KENYA. TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF TROPICAL MEDICINE AND HYGIENE, 86, 335-358.</mixed-citation></ref><ref id="scirp.47690-ref14"><label>14</label><mixed-citation publication-type="journal" xlink:type="simple"><name name-style="western"><surname>NDENGA</surname><given-names> B.</given-names></name>,<name name-style="western"><surname> GITHEKO</surname><given-names> A.</given-names></name>,<name name-style="western"><surname> OMUKUNDA</surname><given-names> E.</given-names></name>,<name name-style="western"><surname> MUNYEKENYE</surname><given-names> G.</given-names></name>,<name name-style="western"><surname> ATIELI</surname><given-names> H.</given-names></name>,<name name-style="western"><surname> WAMAI</surname><given-names> P.</given-names></name>,<name name-style="western"><surname> MBOGO</surname><given-names> C.</given-names></name>,<name name-style="western"><surname> MINAKAWA</surname><given-names> N.</given-names></name>,<name name-style="western"><surname> ZHOU</surname><given-names> G. </given-names></name>,<name name-style="western"><surname> YAN</surname><given-names> G. </given-names></name>,<etal>et al</etal>. (<year>2006</year>)<article-title>POPULATION DYNAMICS OF MALARIA VECTORS IN WESTERN KENYA HIGHLANDS</article-title><source>. JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY</source><volume> 43</volume>,<fpage> 200</fpage>-<lpage>206</lpage>.<pub-id pub-id-type="doi">HTTP://DX.DOI.ORG/10.1603/0022-2585(2006)043[0200:PDOMVI]2.0.CO;2</pub-id></mixed-citation></ref><ref id="scirp.47690-ref15"><label>15</label><mixed-citation publication-type="other" xlink:type="simple">UNICEF (2010) KENYA STATISTICS. TECHNICAL REPORT, UNITED NATION, NEW YORK CITY.</mixed-citation></ref><ref id="scirp.47690-ref16"><label>16</label><mixed-citation publication-type="other" xlink:type="simple">WANJALA, C.L., WAITUMBI, J., ZHOU, G. AND GITHEKO, A.K. (2011) IDENTIFICATION OF MALARIA TRANSMISSION AND EPIDEMIC HOTSPOTS IN THE WESTERN KENYA HIGHLANDS: ITS APPLICATION TO MALARIA EPIDEMIC PREDICTION. PARASITES AND VECTORS, 4, 81. HTTP://DX.DOI.ORG/10.1186/1756-3305-4-81</mixed-citation></ref><ref id="scirp.47690-ref17"><label>17</label><mixed-citation publication-type="journal" xlink:type="simple"><name name-style="western"><surname>BALLS</surname><given-names> M.J.</given-names></name>,<name name-style="western"><surname> BODKER</surname><given-names> R.</given-names></name>,<name name-style="western"><surname> THOMAS</surname><given-names> C.J.</given-names></name>,<name name-style="western"><surname> KISINZA</surname><given-names> W.</given-names></name>,<name name-style="western"><surname> MSANGENI</surname><given-names> H.A. </given-names></name>,<name name-style="western"><surname> LINDSAY</surname><given-names> S.W. </given-names></name>,<etal>et al</etal>. (2004)<article-title>BALLS, M.J., BODKER, R., THOMAS, C.J., KISINZA, W., MSANGENI, H.A. AND LINDSAY, S.W.  EFFECT OF TOPOGRAPHY ON THE RISK OF MALARIA INFECTION IN THE USAMBARA MOUNTAINS, TANZANIA</article-title><source>. TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF TROPICAL MEDICINE AND HYGIENE</source><volume> 98</volume>,<fpage> 400</fpage>-<lpage>408</lpage>.<pub-id pub-id-type="doi"></pub-id></mixed-citation></ref><ref id="scirp.47690-ref18"><label>18</label><mixed-citation publication-type="other" xlink:type="simple">MUKABANA, W.R., TAKKEN, W., RICHARD, C. AND KNOLS, B.G.J. (2002) HOST-SPECIFIC CUES CAUSE DIFFERENTIAL ATTRACTIVENESS OF KENYAN MEN TO THE AFRICAN MALARIA VECTOR ANOPHELES GAMBIAE. MALARIA JOURNAL, 1, 17. HTTP://DX.DOI.ORG/10.1186/1475-2875-1-17</mixed-citation></ref><ref id="scirp.47690-ref19"><label>19</label><mixed-citation publication-type="other" xlink:type="simple">SMITH, D.L., GUERRA, C.A., SNOW, R.W. AND SIMON, H.I. (2007) STANDARDIZING ESTIMATES OF THE PLASMODIUM FALCIPARUM PARASITE RATE. MALARIA JOURNAL, 6, 131. HTTP://DX.DOI.ORG/10.1186/1475-2875-6-131</mixed-citation></ref><ref id="scirp.47690-ref20"><label>20</label><mixed-citation publication-type="journal" xlink:type="simple"><name name-style="western"><surname>BOWONG</surname><given-names> S.</given-names></name>,<name name-style="western"><surname> DUMONT</surname><given-names> Y. </given-names></name>,<name name-style="western"><surname> TEWA</surname><given-names> J.J. </given-names></name>,<etal>et al</etal>. (2013)<article-title>BOWONG, S., DUMONT, Y. AND TEWA, J.J.  A PATCHY MODEL FOR CHIKUNGUNYA-LIKE DISEASES</article-title><source>. BIOMATH</source><volume> 2</volume>,<fpage> 1</fpage>-<lpage>19</lpage>.<pub-id pub-id-type="doi"></pub-id></mixed-citation></ref></ref-list></back></article>