Open AccessBalancing Treatment and Prevention: The Case of HIV/AIDS
Author(s) -
Johnny Mugisha
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
american journal of applied sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1554-3641
pISSN - 1546-9239
DOI - 10.3844/ajassp.2005.1380.1388
Subject(s) - human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , medicine , antiretroviral therapy , intensive care medicine , virology , viral load
A mathematical model is formulated to study the effect of treatment of HIV/AIDS patients on the spread of the epidemic in a two-age group’s population. The model assumes the sexual transmission mode. A proportion δ, of the adult HIV/AIDS infects is assumed to be receiving treatment. The analysis of the model shows that treatment that is not accompanied by a positive change in social behavior will increase the number of both child and adult infections in the population. And if treatment is accompanied by a change in social behavior the epidemic could be eventually contained. The basic reproductive numbers in the case of treatment with no behavioral change and in the case treatment with behavioral change are used to make conclusions about the need to balance treatment with prevention