Optimal Strategies to Contain Arboviruses Spread

Abstract Globalization, the increase of human travelling and climate changes contribute to the emergency due to arboviruses diffusion. Generally, the infected patients show only mild symptoms, but in some cases, with fragile subjects, this kind of disease can be fatal. In this paper Dengue virus is considered and described by means of a new compartmental model in which the human and the mosquitos populations interact and can infect each other; containment measures, based both on human habits and on the reduction of mosquitoes in different phase of their lives, are determined in the framework of optimal control theory, aiming at decreasing the number of infected patients and limiting the actions to be applied. This latter aspect is particularly important, both for practical and economical aspects, and for ecological reasons, since a too strong actions against mosquitos can be dangerous for the equilibrium of the ecosystem.