Abstract

A spatial mathematical model to study the impact of vector control strategies on the dynamics of malaria transmission and its analysis is considered in this paper. The resulting model equations are divided into homogeneous and non-homogeneous equations. The homogeneous equations are solved to determine their disease-free equilibrium (DFE) and their stability. A basic reproduction number was determined from the DFE. It was found that when basic reproduction number is less one, the disease will die out, when the basic reproduction number is exactly one, the model undergoes a backward bifurcation, when the basic reproduction number is exactly zero, the model undergoes forward bifur- cation and whenever the basic reproduction is greater than one, the disease will persist in the population. A quantitative sensitivity analysis of the model parameters was also conducted through the disease’s basic reproduction number to determine the parameters that are sensitive to malaria transmission. A travelling wave equation and solutions were also provided for a possible understanding of the behaviour of mosquitoes’ mobility in the human environment. Finally, we carried out a simulation of our formulated partial differ- ential model and quantitatively assessed and investigated the twin effect of the presence of invasive plants and the spatial dispersion of vectors on malaria dynamics. Sensitivity analysis was also carried out, and the quantitative effect of diffusion and advection on the wave front was demonstrated. The speed of the disease propagation by using travelling wave solutions of the model was also investigated numerically.