Mathematical Assessment of the Role of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis on the HIV Pandemic
The use of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), where approved antivirals are administered to uninfected high-risk individuals, is universally regarded as a promising strategy to prevent susceptible high-risk individuals from acquiring HIV infection from their infected partners. A number of antiviral drugs (and their combinations) have been developed and are being used as prophylaxis against the HIV/AIDS pandemic globally. This talk presents a mathematical model, which takes the form of a deterministic system of nonlinear differential equations, for assessing the population-level impact of the use of PrEP in an MSM (men-who-have-sex-with-men) population. The asymptotic stability properties of the equilibria of the model, as well as characterization of the bifurcation types the model undergoes, will be discussed. Theoretical conditions for the effective control or elimination of the disease in the MSM population will be derived.