A Mathematical Model of Helminth Transmission Dynamics under WASH Program Interventions

TL;DR

This paper develops a mathematical model to analyze how water, sanitation, and hygiene interventions influence the transmission of soil-transmitted helminth infections, guiding public health strategies for elimination.

Contribution

It introduces a dynamic model incorporating WASH coverage and effectiveness, identifying critical thresholds for infection elimination through bifurcation analysis.

Findings

WASH interventions can reduce transmission below critical thresholds.

Widespread coverage alone may not guarantee elimination.

The model helps optimize helminth control strategies.

Abstract

We present a mathematical model to study the transmission dynamics of soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections and to assess the impact of community-based water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) program interventions. STH infections are a pressing public health issue in vulnerable populations, impairing children's growth and development. Our model explicitly incorporates WASH coverage and effectiveness as dynamic parameters, enabling analysis of their effects on the basic and effective reproduction numbers and the stability of disease-free and endemic equilibria. Through saddle-node bifurcation analysis, we identify the critical thresholds in the intervention parameters necessary for infection elimination. Numerical simulations show these thresholds and delineate the conditions under which WASH interventions alone may or may not suffice to eliminate transmission, even under widespread coverage. Our findings provide a mathematical framework to optimize helminth control strategies and provide evidence-based insights for public health policies aligned with the World Health Organization's Global Strategy for the elimination of STH infections by 2030.