Sensitivity Analysis in a Dengue Epidemiological Model

Abstract

Epidemiological models may give some basic guidelines for public health practitioners, allowing the analysis of issues that can influence the strategies to prevent and fight a disease. To be used in decision making, however, a mathematical model must be carefully parameterized and validated with epidemiological and entomological data. Here an SIR (S for susceptible, I for infectious, and R for recovered individuals) and ASI (A for the aquatic phase of the mosquito, S for susceptible, and I for infectious mosquitoes) epidemiological model describing a dengue disease is presented, as well as the associated basic reproduction number. A sensitivity analysis of the epidemiological model is performed in order to determine the relative importance of the model parameters to the disease transmission.