Global dynamics of an epidemiological model with age-of-infection dependent treatment rate

Abstract

We revisit a previously established model for influenza transmission dynamics, in which antiviral treatment as a single containment strategy was administered within a specified window of opportunity for initiating treatment. We extend this model to a more general framework with age-of-infection dependent treatment rates. The resulting age structured model can be transformed into a closed system of delay differential equations, for which we perform a complete global stability analysis. By constructing suitable Lyapunov functions, we show that the effective reproduction number fully characterizes the possible outcomes of disease dynamics. Our results allow us to evaluate treatment strategies and examine the impact of treatment delays on the potential success of disease control.