Treatment provision in spatially structured models for environmentally transmitted infections

The rate at which infected individuals receive treatment, and the nature of that treatment, can have a significant impact on the dynamics of an infectious disease. We investigate the role of treatment in a metapopulation model for the epidemiology of an environmentally transmitted disease. We consider `in-patient' and `out-patient' frameworks for treatment provision, generalised to allow the inclusion of limited capacity. We study key aspects of these models such as the basic reproduction number and the resilience of the endemic equilibrium, using techniques from classical population dynamics and systems biology . We show that the manner in which infected people move in search of treatment, and after recieving treatment, can have a marked effect on the epidemiological. Limited treatment capacities may emphasise this effect. We go on to discuss the implications of these results for epidemic prevention and control strategies in the aftermath of natural disasters.