Modeling the impact of community information dissemination on the transmission dynamics of lymphatic filariasis

Abstract

The World Health Organization has underscored the importance of implementing sustained and integrated interventions to interrupt the transmission of lymphatic filariasis (LF); however, achieving this goal requires a deeper understanding of the dynamics of the disease. In this study, we propose a deterministic mathematical model to investigate the transmission and control of LF, incorporating key factors including treated and untreated individuals, community information dissemination, immature and mature mosquito populations. We fitted the LF model to data using reported LF cases in Ghana from 2010 to 2021. The parameter fitting reported a normalized mean squared error of [Formula: see text]. The global stability of the disease-free and endemic equilibria is analyzed using LaSalle's invariance principle. Sensitivity analysis and numerical simulations revealed that increasing the awareness rate (κ) significantly reduces the spread of LF, while decreasing [Formula: see text], the probability of humans contracting the disease from an infected mosquito bite, further suppresses transmission. The simulation results show that individuals who received treatment experienced better health outcomes compared to those who did not, with a significant decrease in the progression to advanced stages of the disease. Community information dissemination further mitigates transmission by enhancing awareness, treatment-seeking behavior, and adherence to control measures. These findings underscore the importance of enhancing public awareness, reducing human-mosquito contact through personal protective measures, and implementing effective mosquito control strategies, such as insecticide-treated nets, indoor residual spraying, and environmental management, to disrupt breeding sites.