The impact of media awareness in controlling the spread of infectious diseases in terms of SIR model

20, June 2020 | Bangladesh

Authors:

Abstract

A general model based on SIR type has been developed and analyzed in this paper by incorporating a control variable function termed as media awareness. The study emphasizes that consciousness grows among general population due to media awareness which results in isolating a portion of susceptible population from the infected ones. The model exhibits two equilibrium points and the stability of these equilibrium points has been investigated. Numerical simulations have been carried out based on a specific set of parameters to study the effects of applied control. The findings of this analysis reveal that continuous publicity of awareness programs is very effective and significant in preventing the disease transmission whereas the news, collected by media during a disease period, also plays a compassionate role in reducing the size of infectious population. The results of the present analysis also expose that the reproduction number, epidemiologically a certain threshold, is influenced by the transmission and recovery rates. Our study suggests that in absence of effective antivirals or vaccines, media awareness may be one of the supportive interventions for mitigating and controlling the disease burden during any pandemic or epidemic situation.