The Impact of Continuous Insecticide Spraying on the Spread of Chagas Disease

Chagas disease is a significant health problem in rural South and Central America, where about 8 to 11 million people are infected. It is a vector-borne disease caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, which is transmitted to humans mainly through the bite of insect vectors from several species of so-called “kissing bugs” or triatomines. We introduce a comprehensive Chagas disease model that considers the major known transmission route and insecticide spraying. Conditions for the existence and uniqueness of disease-free and endemic equilibria are established for the model. The influence of the insecticide spray on the dynamics of the model is thoroughly investigated, both theoretically and numerically.