The effect of children under five-year old with hygiene care and breastfeeding on dynamics of pneumonia model for Thailand

Abstract

Pneumonia is a respiratory disease that is mainly caused by virus infection. It is mostly found in children more than adults and it is one of the leading causes of serious illness and deaths among children under five years old around the world including Thailand. In this paper we develop a deterministic model of the transmission dynamics of pneumonia with the possibility of infection resistance of children with breastfeeding together with the impact of hygiene care of susceptible group. The conditions for the clearance and persistence of the pneumonia infection through the stability of the equilibria are derived. The basic reproduction number and its sensitivity are calculated. Stability of equilibrium points indicates that the basic reproduction number has to be maintained at the level less than unity in order to eliminate the disease. Sensitivity analysis of basic reproduction number and numerical simulation demonstrates that the immunity to disease due to breastfeeding and hygiene care of children should be encouraged in order to achieve a disease-free population.