The North Carolina Journal of Mathematics and Statistics

A Mathematical Analysis on the Transmission Dynamics of Neisseria gonorrhoeae

Christine Marie Craib, Wei Feng

Abstract


In this project, we analyze an epidemiological model describing the transmission of gonorrhea. We address two stratifications: one based on age groups and one based on education levels, each with a core sexual activity class and two noncore sexual activity classes. Using parameters based on sexual behavior in the United States, we address the impact of the average number of partners per year for each sexual activity class on the behavior of the model around two equilibrium points: a disease-free equilibrium and an endemic equilibrium. The focus of the project is to identify the conditions leading to the existence of each of the equilibrium points, analyze the stability of these points, and discuss the results. Ultimately, the goal of the project is to find conditions for the bifurcation of the two equilibrium points, in order to find the conditions resulting in the eradication of gonorrhea.


Keywords


Infectious disease; Mathematical modeling; Ordinary differential equations; Stability analysis;

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References


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