Optimal Control Strategies for Reducing Herpes Simplex Virus Type 2 (HSV-2) Infections

Genital herpes, caused by the herpes simplex viruses (HSVs) is a globally sexually transmitted disease that has been more drastic in recent years. In this work, we have studied the epidemiological model applied to Herpes Simplex Virus Type 2 (HSV-2) infection in an optimal control perspective. The mathematical model that is developed in this work representing the disease dynamics is based on ordinary differential equations. Here we have employed the optimal control strategies to study the necessary mathematical analysis such as the existence and characterization of optimal control including some necessary conditions of the model. Our goal is to find a strategy using which we can prevent this disease by reducing HSV-2 infection. For this purpose, we have applied Pontryagin’s maximum principle and adopted vaccination as the control measure. We have examined the model both analytically and numerically, and the analytical findings have been illustrated using numerical simulations. After illustrating the graphs in different types of situations, we conclude that vaccination could be the most effective measure to reduce the number of infected individuals.