Optimal Control for Tuberculosis with Exogenous Reinfection and Stigmatization

TL;DR

This paper develops an optimal control model for tuberculosis considering exogenous reinfection and stigmatization, demonstrating that combined measures are necessary for effective disease management.

Contribution

It introduces a new tuberculosis model incorporating stigmatization effects and solves an optimal control problem to identify effective intervention strategies.

Findings

Both stigmatization reduction and direct disease control are essential.

Multiple endemic equilibria exist with exogenous reinfection.

Optimal control strategies require combined measures.

Abstract

The effect of stigmatization is hindering the control of diseases. Especially in the case of exogenous reinfection, this effect can play a massive role. We develop in this paper, based on a tuberculosis model of Feng et.al. a model with exogenous reinfection and stigmatization. As in the base model, in presence of exogenous reinfection there exists multiple endemic equilibria. We solve an optimal control problem for a case scenario and show that both types of measures, those fighting stigmatization but also direct disease control have to be invoked.