Program
| MSE1c | |
|---|---|
| Elsa Hansen | |
| Queen's University | |
| Title | Characterizing the Effect of Emerging Resistance on the Optimal Treatment Strategy |
| Abstract | Mathematical models are playing an increasingly important role in understanding the dynamics of epidemics and determining the best strategies for public health interventions. One of the numerous issues that should be considered when deciding how best to treat an infectious disease, is how the threat of emerging resistance affects the optimal treatment strategy. Using optimal control theory, we address this question for a deterministic SIR type model with mass action contact rates and characterize the treatment strategy that minimizes the total outbreak size. We show that the presence of resistance can, but does not always, change the optimal treatment strategy. We discuss the importance of accurately assessing the threat of resistance emergence and how the level of this threat changes the character of the optimal treatment strategy. We also detail how the basic reproduction numbers of the regular and resistant strains play a crucial role in determining the form of the optimal treatment policy. |
| Location | Woodward 1 |