DYNAMIC ASPECTS OF MORBIDITY AND ACQUIRED-IMMUNITY IN SCHISTOSOMIASISCONTROL

In schistosomiasis control, rational planning of chemotherapy programm es is complicated by the dynamic interactions between treatment and le vels of acquired immunity and morbidity in the community. In this pape r, mathematical models that address the development of acquired immuni ty and the prevalence of morbidity are incorporated within an age-stru ctured transmission framework to explore some of the dynamic complexit ies of long-term chemotherapy programmes. As well as illustrating some of the potential problems inherent in predicting the consequences of control measures, the model provides insights into the dynamics of sch istosomiasis transmission and the parameters that need to be measured to further improve the design of community-based control programmes.