Abstract

MODELING THE IMPACT OF BEHAVIOR CHANGE ON THE TRANSMISSION DYNAMICS OF HIV IN A HOMOSEXUAL POPULATION ON A COMPLEX GRAPH

1P.N. Okoloand 2O. Abu

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Abstract The objective of this study is to predict the prevalence of HIV prevalence in a homosexual population through complexgraphs considering behavioral changes in terms of partnership structures and protection through condom usage.A homosexual population together with the partnership connections is described by a complex graph. We considered two scenarios; first a situation where individuals have the numbers of partners distributed according to a power-law distribution and secondly a situation where individuals are restricted each to one partner. In each case, the partnership durations are described by the Weibull distribution and the effects of condom use are investigated. The results show that monogamous forms of relationship and effective condom use are the best strategy for the control of HIV prevalence. Therefore, behavioural change from multiple partnership and unprotected sex is crucial for the control of HIV/AIDS. KEYWORDS: sexual networks, HIV, homosexual, sexual partnerships, power-law distribution, Weibull distribution

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