Dynamics of Tuberculosis in a Developing Country: Nigeria as a Case Study

Abstract

Tuberculosis remains as one of the most dangerous infectious diseases that causes heavy burden on the economy of developing countries and is responsible for more than three million deaths worldwide annually. In order to control tuberculosis, reduce the number of cases and prevent the emergence of drug-resistant strains, the WHO proposed to implement the direct observation therapy strategy (DOTS) in heavy-burden countries. However, the effectiveness of the strategy depends on a number of factors, such as the level of detection and the level of implementation. In this chapter we explore how these factors affect the effectiveness of the strategy. To address this issue, we use simple mathematical models. Analysis of these models allows us to find estimations of the critical levels and to make practically relevant recommendations for the health authorities.