Optimal Control of Ebola Transmission Dynamics with Interventions
F. T. Oduro
Department of Mathematics, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi Ghana.
George Apaaboah *
Department of Mathematics, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi Ghana.
Joseph Baafi
Department of Mathematics, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi Ghana.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
In this paper, SEIR epidemic model is used to study Ebola transmission dynamics and compared with SIR model against World Health Organisation data from Sierra Leone. It was found that the constructed SEIR model was more representative of the situation in Sierra Leone. In addition, the impact of quarantine, vaccination and/ or both interventions on the transmission dynamics of the disease was studied. The introduction of interventions caused the disease free equilibrium to become stable. Finally, the optimal control problem was solved for the transmission dynamics of the disease using these interventions as control variables. It was observed that the best intervention strategy is to implement require a combination of both quarantine and vaccination.
Keywords: Ebola, optimal control, epidemic models