Minimization of HIV Infection among Nigerian Women through the Use of Microbicides: An Insight from Mathematical Modeling

Abstract

A recent report indicated that one hundred and thirty thousand Nigerians were lately infected with HIV with the majority of infections resulting from unguarded vaginal sex. About two-thirds of new HIV infections in adults exist in women. Male circumcision and male condoms limit the danger of HIV infection, but the adoption of these procedures is beyond the control of Nigerian women due to gender inequality and gender-based violence against women in the country. In an attempt to provide a mathematical framework to examine a potential female-controlled strategy of HIV acquisition in Nigeria, a mathematical model is modified and analyzed for the transmission of HIV by incorporating pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in the form of a microbicide. The solutions of the model are proved to be positive. The critical points of the model and the epidemic threshold known as the reproduction number are also derived. The restricted case of total compliance to the use of the microbicide is analyzed by proving the global stability of the disease-free equilibrium (DFE) of the model. The general case which permits individuals to default the microbicide is also investigated by proving the global stability of the endemic equilibrium (EE) of the model. Numerical simulation is carried out to verify the analytical results and the results of the simulation show that strict compliance and consistent use of the microbicide may tend HIV acquisition among Nigerian women to zero.

Keywords

• hiv
• model
• microbicide
• reproduction number
• simulatio