Scott Greenhalgh , Ahmani Roman , Ashley Provencher
{"title":"Wonder drugs and where to use them: a forecast of ivermectin's impact on malaria in Africa","authors":"Scott Greenhalgh , Ahmani Roman , Ashley Provencher","doi":"10.1016/j.idm.2025.06.003","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.idm.2025.06.003","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>A study in Burkina Faso revealed ivermectin inhibits malaria transmission by killing malaria parasites and mosquitoes. However, it is unknown what effect this drug will have on the malaria transmission intensities of the rest of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). To address this issue, we created a mathematical model using malaria transmission data from 41 SSA countries to evaluate the antimalarial benefits of a mass drug administration (MDA) of ivermectin. To account for ivermectin's effect on malaria, we incorporate estimates of its ability to inhibit malaria transmission and kill mosquitoes. We consider scenarios where 0, 12.5 %, 25.0 %, and 50.0 % of the population receive ivermectin over five years and estimate malaria incidence averted, disability-adjusted life years saved, and the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio. Our findings show that an MDA of ivermectin to 12.5 %, 25 %, or 50 % of the population annually averts 248.7, 261.4, and 288.7 incidences per thousand people and saves 5.4, 5.7, and 6.3 disability-adjusted life years, respectively. These values indicate that an MDA of ivermectin would be cost-effective in 41, 18, and 6 countries, and very cost-effective in 22, 6, and 3 countries for the 12.5 %, 25 %, and 50 % scenarios. Altogether, our results indicate that ivermectin would prevent a substantial number of malaria incidences and save disability-adjusted life years in the majority of SSA. Therefore, an MDA of ivermectin would greatly aid in ongoing malaria control efforts and should be considered strongly as a complementary intervention to current malaria protocols.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36831,"journal":{"name":"Infectious Disease Modelling","volume":"10 4","pages":"Pages 1229-1237"},"PeriodicalIF":8.8,"publicationDate":"2025-06-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144580649","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Modelling the impact of vaccination on cholera transmission dynamics under stratified populations and seasonality","authors":"Leul Mekonnen Anteneh, Sètondji Diane Zanvo, Kassifou Traore, Romain Glèlè Kakaï","doi":"10.1016/j.idm.2025.06.006","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.idm.2025.06.006","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Different types of oral cholera vaccines (OCVs) are currently available in the global market to combat cholera epidemic. In most of developing countries, there is comparatively limited deployment of vaccination programs. In this study, we develop a non-linear deterministic mathematical model to investigate the dynamics of cholera in the presence of vaccination under stratified population, and taking into account the seasonality of the disease dynamic. The model stratifies the total population into two strata based on level of exposure or individuals risk status. We use reported cholera data to estimate the values of model parameters using the least square method together with the <em>fminsearch</em> function in the MATLAB optimization toolbox. Sensitivity analysis was performed to identify the impact of vaccination on cholera transmission dynamics. Numerical results show that the reproduction numbers were 3.35 and 2.6 in more and less exposed population, respectively, with an average value of the whole population equal to 2.98. Specifically, our findings indicate that at least 70 % of the most exposed population needs to be vaccinated to halt transmission within that group, while a minimum of 62 % of the less exposed population must be vaccinated to halt transmission in this population. We further observe that the vaccination rate significantly impact the amplitude of the epidemic curves. Our findings suggest that vaccination of susceptible population stratified with a certain priority (e.g., level of exposure or individual's risk status) against the disease can reduce the transmission of cholera, potentially slowing the spread of the bacteria in a population.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36831,"journal":{"name":"Infectious Disease Modelling","volume":"10 4","pages":"Pages 1138-1152"},"PeriodicalIF":8.8,"publicationDate":"2025-06-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144501118","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ramziya Rifhat , Shayidan Abuduwaili , Zhidong Teng , Kai Wang
{"title":"Analysis of vaccination strategies in a heterosexual HPV transmission model with a case study in Xinjiang of China","authors":"Ramziya Rifhat , Shayidan Abuduwaili , Zhidong Teng , Kai Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.idm.2025.06.004","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.idm.2025.06.004","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Vaccination has confirmed efficacy in preventing human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. The inclusion of males in vaccination programs remains a subject of debate, and the optimal allocation of vaccines across genders for maximizing benefits remains unclear. This work proposes a heterosexual HPV transmission model with vaccination and employs the data from Xinjiang of China, as a case study to assess HPV vaccination strategies. The dynamics of the model, including the nonnegativity and boundedness of solutions, the calculation of the basic reproduction number (BRN), the stability of disease-free equilibrium, and the uniform persistence of disease, are investigated. Theoretical findings highlight the decisive role of the BRN in determining model dynamics. Furthermore, the optimal vaccine distribution strategy between males and females was established when the vaccine amount is limited. Meanwhile, this work involves fitting and estimating parameters and the current BRN based on actual data regarding with HPV infection and secondary cervical cancer (CC) cases in Xinjiang from January 2009 to December 2019. The numerical simulations are employed to explore the sensitivity of model parameters, especially the vaccination rates, to the BRN and HPV infection and CC with time changes, discuss the impact of vaccine distribution between males and females on the dynamic changes in new cases of HPV infection and CC, and further analyzed the control effect of bivalent and nine-valent HPV vaccines in Xinjiang of China. Additionally, several practical strategies are introduced to manage the continued spread of HPV infection and CC in the region.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36831,"journal":{"name":"Infectious Disease Modelling","volume":"10 4","pages":"Pages 1153-1178"},"PeriodicalIF":8.8,"publicationDate":"2025-06-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144519194","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Control of Rhipicephalus sanguineus ticks and Rocky Mountain spotted fever informed by an in silico tool","authors":"Francesca Rubino , Patrick Foley , Janet Foley","doi":"10.1016/j.idm.2025.06.005","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.idm.2025.06.005","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>We explored a compartment “susceptible-infected-recovered” model to prioritize and test the effectiveness of dog- and tick-based interventions against Rocky Mountain spotted fever and its tick vector <em>Rhipicephalus sanguineus</em> s.l. In the face of increasingly urban epidemics of RMSF with high case fatality, particularly targeting marginalized communities, wrap-around campaigns (comprising all or some of canine culling, fertility control, and restraint to property; on-dog and environmental acaricide; and education and awareness programs for public health workers and at-risk residents) are unsustainably resource-intensive and may lack efficacy in managing the very hard to control tick. Our model allows us to strategize interventions and develop an optimized campaign against RMSF, using parameters associated with the epidemic in Ensenada, Baja California as an example. Combining usage of acaricides on dogs and the environment optimized success as measured by up to 10 years of no new canine cases, a proxy for human cases, as well as reduced tick burden. Success was greater when the campaign was begun in winter or spring and achieved at least 60 % coverage. This combination was considerably more successful than either dog or environmental acaricide alone, culling of dogs which was only successful with 100 % of dogs removed, and spay/neuter campaigns which did not reduce tick burdens. However, spay/neuter of outside dogs as an adjunct to the acaricide campaign helped stabilize the canine population and encouraged herd immunity. Although parameterized for Ensenada, the model can easily be run for other communities where data on canine tick burden and tick life history traits are available, in order to tailor intervention details such as optimal timing, coverage, and re-application frequency even when public health resources are limited.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36831,"journal":{"name":"Infectious Disease Modelling","volume":"10 4","pages":"Pages 1179-1189"},"PeriodicalIF":8.8,"publicationDate":"2025-06-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144519195","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Wentao Song , Fenglan He , Zhiqiang Deng , Maohong Hu , Kang Fang , Wenjuan Cheng , Jingwen Wu , Xi Wang , Guoyin Fan , Lingyan Kong , Yisheng Zhou , Kangguo Li , Buasiyamu Abudunaibi , Xiuhua Kang , Tianxin Xiang , Hui Li , Tianmu Chen
{"title":"Avian influenza virus dynamics in poultry and the environment: an eight-year longitudinal study in the southwestern Poyang Lake region of China","authors":"Wentao Song , Fenglan He , Zhiqiang Deng , Maohong Hu , Kang Fang , Wenjuan Cheng , Jingwen Wu , Xi Wang , Guoyin Fan , Lingyan Kong , Yisheng Zhou , Kangguo Li , Buasiyamu Abudunaibi , Xiuhua Kang , Tianxin Xiang , Hui Li , Tianmu Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.idm.2025.06.002","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.idm.2025.06.002","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Surveillance of the Avian influenza virus serves as the first line of defense, encompassing monitoring of both animals and environment. These approaches vary across countries due to differences in epidemiology and public health policies. We conducted an eight-year active surveillance program in the Poyang Lake region, a critical wintering site along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway, to investigate the correlation between poultry and environmental samples. From February 2017 to June 2024, 7570 poultry and environmental samples were collected and tested in Nanchang, the largest city in the Poyang Lake region, revealing an overall avian influenza positivity rate of 40.1 %. In 2017, the poultry and environmental positivity rates were 16.9 % and 15.5 %, respectively. By 2024, these rates had risen to 69.4 % and 77.7 %, respectively, with significant and consistent annual increases observed in both environmental and poultry samples. Specifically, in poultry surveillance, chickens (54.2 %) showed higher overall AIV positivity rates compared to ducks (30.6 %), and oropharyngeal swabs (45.5 %) demonstrated greater sensitivity than cloacal swabs (22.3 %). Analysis of environmental samples revealed that, compared with smear samples (39.0 %) and fecal samples (30.9 %), sewage samples (46.5 %) exhibit superior sensitivity. Correlation and wavelet coherence analyses revealed a significant relationship between environmental and poultry samples. In scenarios where poultry sampling is unavailable, environmental surveillance can complement and potentially serve as an alternative to poultry surveillance.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36831,"journal":{"name":"Infectious Disease Modelling","volume":"10 4","pages":"Pages 1126-1137"},"PeriodicalIF":8.8,"publicationDate":"2025-06-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144307959","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Estimating undiagnosed HIV infections by age group in Japan: an extended age-dependent back-calculation","authors":"Seiko Fujiwara , Hiroshi Nishiura , Takuma Shirasaka , Akifumi Imamura","doi":"10.1016/j.idm.2025.06.001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.idm.2025.06.001","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Understanding the number of undiagnosed HIV-infected individuals by age is essential for improving the test-and-treat strategy. We developed an extended back-calculation by age group to investigate the situation in Japan, describing the data-generating process of AIDS cases and HIV diagnoses as a function of age and time. We considered the incubation period as a function of both age and time since infection, and estimated the number of new HIV infections and annual diagnosis rate by age and time. The diagnosed proportion of HIV infections at the end of 2022 was estimated to be 93.2 % (95 % CI: 90.2, 95.8) in their 20s, 90.4 % (95 % CI: 87.0, 93.7) in their 40s, 90.3 % (95 % CI: 86.9, 93.5) in their 50s or older, and 89.4 % (95 % CI: 85.1, 93.2) in their 30s. The annual rate of diagnosis of people in their 40s decreased from 16.9 % in 2015–2019 to 14.8 % in 2020–22. Despite increasing trend in diagnostic rate, the estimate for those in their 50s was as small as 13.6 % (95 % CI: 8.5, 19.4) in 2020–2022. We identified a difficulty in diagnosing HIV-infected individuals aged 40 and older. The absolute number of infections is greater among those in their 30s than 40s, but the AIDS incidence is the opposite, suggesting that older individuals would require more customized (and easy to access) opportunities for diagnosis.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36831,"journal":{"name":"Infectious Disease Modelling","volume":"10 4","pages":"Pages 1116-1125"},"PeriodicalIF":8.8,"publicationDate":"2025-06-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144263741","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Modelling the potential impact of TB-funded prevention programs on the transmission dynamics of TB","authors":"V.M. Mbalilo , F. Nyabadza , S.P. Gatyeni","doi":"10.1016/j.idm.2025.05.010","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.idm.2025.05.010","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Tuberculosis (TB) continues to be a major global health challenge, with millions of new cases and deaths each year despite the massive efforts and funding put in the fight against the disease. In this paper, we develop a mathematical model to evaluate the impact of TB-funded prevention programs on the transmission dynamics of TB. The model incorporates stages of TB infection (latent and active), and accounts for the effects of treatment, funding and TB-funded prevention programs. Our analysis shows that increased funding and enhanced prevention programs reduce the number of active TB cases, thereby decreasing the reproduction number and TB endemicity. Specifically, higher funding rates lead to improved prevention and treatment outcomes, resulting in the lowering of the effective reproduction number <span><math><mrow><mo>(</mo><mrow><msub><mrow><mi>R</mi></mrow><mrow><mn>0</mn></mrow></msub></mrow><mo>)</mo></mrow></math></span> and reduced transmission. The model's steady states are determined and it is shown that the model has a disease-free equilibrium that is locally asymptotically stable whenever <span><math><msub><mrow><mi>R</mi></mrow><mrow><mn>0</mn></mrow></msub><mo><</mo><mn>1</mn></math></span> and multiple endemic equilibria for <span><math><msubsup><mrow><mi>R</mi></mrow><mrow><mn>0</mn></mrow><mrow><mi>c</mi></mrow></msubsup><mo><</mo><msub><mrow><mi>R</mi></mrow><mrow><mn>0</mn></mrow></msub><mo><</mo><mn>1</mn></math></span> and a unique endemic equilibrium for <span><math><msub><mrow><mi>R</mi></mrow><mrow><mn>0</mn></mrow></msub><mo>></mo><mn>1</mn></math></span>. The model is shown to exhibit a backward bifurcation that vanishes as the funding for TB is increased. The paper also highlights that treatment alone, while beneficial, is less effective than a combined strategy involving funding and prevention. Numerical simulations are carried out and the influences of various parameters on the effective reproduction number are investigated. The implications of TB-funded prevention programs on TB dynamics and control of TB are discussed and valuable insights for policymakers in designing effective TB control programs are highlighted.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36831,"journal":{"name":"Infectious Disease Modelling","volume":"10 4","pages":"Pages 1037-1054"},"PeriodicalIF":8.8,"publicationDate":"2025-06-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144241896","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Xiaoqing Cheng , Zehui Zhang , Weili Kang , Xuefeng Zhang , Hui Peng , Changjun Bao
{"title":"Trends and projections of hepatitis E incidence in Jiangsu Province of eastern China from 2007 to 2021: An analysis based on age-period-cohort models","authors":"Xiaoqing Cheng , Zehui Zhang , Weili Kang , Xuefeng Zhang , Hui Peng , Changjun Bao","doi":"10.1016/j.idm.2025.05.011","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.idm.2025.05.011","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><div>This study aims to evaluate Hepatitis E incidence trends by age, period, and birth cohort in Jiangsu Province from 2007 to 2021 and project the future trends.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Data on Hepatitis E cases in Jiangsu Province were sourced from the National Notifiable Disease Reporting System. Joinpoint regression models analyzed annual percentage changes. Age-period-cohort model decomposed and Bayesian age-period-cohort projected the trends.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Between 2007 and 2021, a total of 46180 cases of Hepatitis E were reported. Both the overall and sex-specific trends revealed a single inflection point, and the average annual percentage change was -3.63% (95% CI: -7.33% ∼ -0.87%, <em>P</em> < 0.05) for male. The net drift value is -5.13%, with -6.28% for males and -2.39% for females. Significant local drift variations were observed, especially in the 20–24 age group (-11.51%). The age curve indicated the peak at 15.94 per 100000 for males in the 25–29 age group and at 4.42 per 100000 for females in the 50–54 age group. The period effect demonstrated the incidence rates for females lagged behind for males. The cohort effect indicated earlier cohorts exhibited higher incidence rates. projected an increase in incidence rates for the 65–69 age group from 2022 to 2031, with a overall incidence rate of 11.31 (95% CI: 2.80 ∼ 31.58) per 100000 in 2031.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Hepatitis E incidence has decreased from 2007 to 2021 for male in Jiangsu Province, and Age-period-cohort analysis revealed sex differences, which may be associated with different exposure routes. Continuous surveillance and timely interventions are essential to 65–69 age group.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36831,"journal":{"name":"Infectious Disease Modelling","volume":"10 4","pages":"Pages 1093-1102"},"PeriodicalIF":8.8,"publicationDate":"2025-06-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144241898","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Sarafa A. Iyaniwura , Qing Han , Ngem Bede Yong , Ghislain Rutayisire , Agnes Adom-Konadu , Okwen Patrick Mbah , David Poumo Tchouassi , Kingsley Badu , Jude Dzevela Kong
{"title":"Regional variation and epidemiological insights in malaria underestimation in Cameroon","authors":"Sarafa A. Iyaniwura , Qing Han , Ngem Bede Yong , Ghislain Rutayisire , Agnes Adom-Konadu , Okwen Patrick Mbah , David Poumo Tchouassi , Kingsley Badu , Jude Dzevela Kong","doi":"10.1016/j.idm.2025.05.006","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.idm.2025.05.006","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Despite significant global effort to control and eradicate malaria, many cases and deaths are still reported yearly. These efforts are hindered by several factors, including the severe underestimation of cases and deaths, especially in Africa.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>We used a mathematical model, incorporating the underestimation of cases and seasonality in mosquito biting rate, to study the malaria dynamics in Cameroon. Using a Bayesian inference framework, we calibrated our model to the monthly reported malaria cases in ten regions of Cameroon from 2019 to 2021 to quantify the underestimation of cases and estimate other important epidemiological parameters. We performed Hierarchical Clustering on Principal Components analysis to understand regional disparities, looking at underestimation rates, population sizes, healthcare personnel, and healthcare facilities per 1000 people.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>We found varying levels of case underestimation across regions, with the East region having the lowest (14 %) and the Northwest having the highest (70 %). The mosquito biting rate peaks once every year in most regions, except in the Northwest where it peaks every 6.02 months and in Littoral every 15 months. We estimated a median mosquito biting rate of over 5 bites/day for most regions with Littoral having the highest (9.86 bites/day). Two regions have rates below five: Adamawa (4.78 bites/day) and East (4.64 bites/day).</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>The low case estimation underscores the pressing requirement to bolster reporting and surveillance systems. Regions in Cameroon display a range of unique features contributing to the differing levels of underestimation. These distinctions should be considered when evaluating the efficacy of community-based interventions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36831,"journal":{"name":"Infectious Disease Modelling","volume":"10 4","pages":"Pages 1103-1115"},"PeriodicalIF":8.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144263740","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
O.Y. Oludoun , O. Abiodun , B. Gbadamosi , J.K. Oladejo , E.I. Akinola , O.N. Emuoyibofarhe , O. Adebimpe
{"title":"The role of spontaneous clearance on fractional analysis of HBV","authors":"O.Y. Oludoun , O. Abiodun , B. Gbadamosi , J.K. Oladejo , E.I. Akinola , O.N. Emuoyibofarhe , O. Adebimpe","doi":"10.1016/j.idm.2025.05.009","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.idm.2025.05.009","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Hepatitis B virus (HBV) remains a persistent global health concern, with recent research advancing our understanding of its transmission dynamics and potential interventions.The present study proposes a mathematical model of Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) epidemics using fractional calculus, with a special emphasis on the influence of spontaneous clearance across diverse population groups. Using the Atangana-Baleanu derivative, the model accounts for the complications of vertical and horizontal transmission, therapy, immunisation, and spontaneous clearance. Numerical simulations with different fractional orders demonstrate how spontaneous clearance affects the dynamics of susceptible, chronic, treated, and recovered populations. The findings indicate that in vulnerable populations, increasing spontaneous clearance reduces vulnerability because people either clear the illness naturally or gain resistance.However, in chronic populations, spontaneous clearance is insufficient for complete recovery without treatment. The combination of therapy and spontaneous clearance improves the treated population, demonstrating the beneficial effects of both medical intervention and natural immunity. Furthermore, increased spontaneous clearance boosts the restored population, demonstrating the immune system's ability to eliminate the virus over time. The fractional-order framework captures the memory effect of illness development, revealing how healing is time-dependent and how immune responses have a long-term impact. This study emphasises the need of combining spontaneous clearance with medical therapies to improve HBV management and public health consequences. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) remains a persistent global health concern, with recent research advancing our understanding of its transmission dynamics and potential interventions. This study presents a fractional mathematical model of HBV infection, employing the Atangana-Baleanu derivative with Mittag-Leffler kernels to capture memory-dependent and nonlocal transmission processes. The model integrates vertical and horizontal transmission pathways, treatment strategies, immunization efforts, and spontaneous clearance, providing a nuanced perspective compared to classical models. Stability conditions are analyzed through fixed-point theory, revealing the global stability of both disease-free and endemic states under specific values of the basic reproduction number <em>R</em><sub>0</sub>. Numerical simulations demonstrate the model's effectiveness in capturing the complex dynamics of HBV, with fractional-order parameters enhancing prediction accuracy. This approach offers valuable insights into optimizing public health interventions and treatment strategies for managing HBV infections effectively.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36831,"journal":{"name":"Infectious Disease Modelling","volume":"10 4","pages":"Pages 1019-1036"},"PeriodicalIF":8.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144195352","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}