Modeling HIV/AIDS with early detection and control using antiretroviral drugs

We analyzed a deterministic model for the HIV-infection transmission in a male and female heterosexual population. Two classes of infected populations are considered, namely; those infected but do not know their serological status and/or are not under any sort of clinical/therapeutic treatment, and those who are aware of their disease status. The two infective groups differ in their incubation time, contact rate with susceptible individuals, and probability of disease transmission. The impact of early detection in curtailing the epidemic and disease control using ARV associated with positive changes in sexual behavior after status awareness to reduce incidence and prevalence of HIV is investigated. We formulated the model as a system of ordinary di_erential equations and mathematical analysis of the model was given. Using sensitivity analysis technique, the numerical results show that the number of of partners, _m and _f, for male and female respectively are sensitive parameter to increase or decrease the incidence rate whenever a detection/treatment rate and indirect measure of the level of infection risk are sufficiently large. However, any level of detection/treatment rate coupled with a decrease of the transmission probability lowers the incidence rate and prevalence level in the population. Numerical simulations of the model are done to support the analytical solutions. In general, only significant reductions in the transmission (achieved through, for example, the adoption of safe sexual practices) can contain effectively the spread of the disease.