Modeling Ebola Dynamics with a Φ-Piecewise Hybrid Fractional Derivative Approach

Ebola virus disease (EVD) is a severe and often fatal illness posing significant public health challenges. This study investigates EVD transmission dynamics using a novel fractional mathematical model with five distinct compartments: individuals with low susceptibility (S1), individuals with high susceptibility (S2), infected individuals (I), exposed individuals (E), and recovered individuals (R). To capture the complex dynamics of EVD, we employ a Φ-piecewise hybrid fractional derivative approach. We investigate the crossover effect and its impact on disease dynamics by dividing the study interval into two subintervals and utilize the Φ-Caputo derivative in the first interval and the Φ-ABC derivative in the second interval. The study determines the basic reproduction number R0, analyzes the stability of the disease-free equilibrium and investigates the sensitivity of the parameters to understand how variations affect the system’s behavior and outcomes. Numerical simulations support the model and demonstrate consistent results with the theoretical analysis, highlighting the importance of fractional calculus in modeling infectious diseases. This research provides valuable information for developing effective control strategies to combat EVD.