Optimal control of intervention strategies and cost effectiveness analysis for a Zika virus model

Abstract

This paper presents an optimal control strategy and a cost effectiveness analysis for the Zika virus disease. A mathematical model for the transmission of the Zika virus is considered with four preventive measures as control, namely: the use of treated bednets, the use of condoms, a medical treatment of infected persons, and the use of indoor residual spray (IRS). We obtain the reproduction number R0 for the disease and carry out a stability analysis. We observe that the disease’s free equilibrium state is stable when R0<1 but unstable when R0>1, which leads to a spread of the disease. We examine the implementation of various combinations of the possible control strategies in order to determine the most cost-effective one. Based on the computational results, we conclude that a strategy that consists of treated bednets, treatment of symptomatic infected humans and indoor residual spray is the most cost effective strategy.