Alladi Ramakrishnan Hall

Epidemic and media campaigns: Understanding the interplay from mathematical standpoint

Anupama Sharma

Department of Mathematics, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi

In classical epidemic models, human behaviour is considered static or passive, but in the real situation it is information-dependent. Mass media, being a prime source of information, is capable of inciting behavioural changes amongst the population. These media-induced behavioural changes impede the transmission of disease, thereby affecting the epidemic trajectory. To comprehend the interplay between media and epidemic from the mathematical standpoint, some nonlinear mathematical models are proposed and analysed, which include the number of media campaigns explicitly in the modelling. These models depict the time evolution of disease in the population with the continuously changing number of media campaigns. In this talk, we discuss how the provision of awareness affects the dynamics of infectious diseases and vector-borne diseases, and how this interplay can be investigated using mathematical models. We also focus on the mathematical details like existence and stability of formulated models. A case study to manifest the role of mass media and interpersonal communication on the HIV/AIDS epidemic in India is also discussed.