Global behaviour of a tuberculosis model with difference in awareness and treatment adherence levels

Abstract

The treatment adherence level of tuberculosis patients is critically related to their awareness level about tuberculosis and anti-tuberculosis therapy. Tuberculosis is always spreading if the community has low level of awareness. In this article a mathematical model describing the impact of treatment adherence and difference in awareness level on tuberculosis transmission dynamics is investigated. It is assumed that the detected infectious individuals with low level of awareness after treatment may enter either the recovered compartment due to treatment adherence or the latent compartment due to lack of adherence. We compute the epidemic threshold parameter, Rb, to study its role on the dynamics and stability of the proposed model. Mathematical analyses of this model reveal that treatment nonadherence of individuals with active tuberculosis may lead to relapse. Analysis of the epidemic threshold parameter shows that increase in awareness level, treatment and adherence to medication has a positive effect on tuberculosis control. Whereas, decrease in effective contact rate and endogenous reactivation rate help to reduce tuberculosis infection. The numerical simulations of the model illustrate the feasibility of our analytical conclusions.