Asymptotic behaviour of cooperative systems: an application to malaria control

Abstract

In this work we propose a model that represents the relation between fish ponds, the mosquito population and the transmission of malaria. It has been observed that in the Amazonic region of Acre, in the North of Brazil, fish farming is correlated to the transmission of malaria when carried out in artificial ponds that become breeding sites. Evidence has been found indicating that cleaning the vegetation from the edges of the crop tanks helps to control the size of the mosquito population. We use our model to determine the effective contribution of the fish tanks to the epidemic. The model consists of a nonlinear system of ordinary differential equations with jumps at the cleaning time, which act as {\em impulsive controls}. We study the asymptotic behaviour of the system in function of the intensity and periodicity of the cleaning, and the value of the parameters. In particular, we state sufficient conditions under which the mosquito population is exterminated or prevails, and under which the malaria is eradicated or becomes endemic.