Optimal control analysis of hepatocytic-erythrocytic dynamics of Plasmodium falciparum malaria

This paper presents an in-host malaria model subject to anti-malarial drug treatment and malaria vaccine antigens combinations. Pontryagin's Maximum Principle is applied to establish optimal control strategies against infected erythrocytes, infected hepatocytes and malaria parasites. Results from numerical simulation reveal that a combination of pre-erythrocytic vaccine antigen, blood schizontocide and gametocytocide drugs would offer the best strategy to eradicate clinical P. falciparum malaria. Sensitivity analysis, further reveal that the efficacy of blood schizontocides and blood stage vaccines are crucial in the control of clinical malaria infection. Futhermore, we found that an effective blood schizontocide should be used alongside efficacious blood stage vaccine for rapid eradication of infective malaria parasites. The authors hope that the results of this study will help accelerate malaria elimination efforts by combining malaria vaccines and anti-malarial drugs against the deadly P. falciparum malaria.