On the Co-infection of Malaria and Schistosomiasis

Mathematical models for co-infection of diseases (that is, the simultaneous infection of an individual by multiple diseases) are sorely lacking in the literature. Here we present a mathematical model for the co-infection of malaria and schistosomiasis. We derive reproduction numbers for malaria and schistosomiasis independently, then combine these to determine the effects of disease interactions. Sensitivity indices show that malaria infection may be associated with an increased rate of schistosomiasis infection. However, schistosomiasis infection is not associated with an increased rate of malaria infection. Therefore, whenever there is co-infection of malaria and schistosomiasis in the community, our model suggests that control measures for each disease should be administered concurrently for effective control.