HIV/AIDS MODEL ASSESSING THE EFFECTS OF GENDER-INEQUALITY AFFECTING WOMEN IN AFRICAN HETEROSEXUAL SETTINGS

<jats:p> A sex-structured model for heterosexual transmission of HIV/AIDS for addressing the epidemic as a gender-based issue in African heterosexual settings is presented. The epidemic threshold and equilibria for the model are determined and stabilities are investigated. Comprehensive qualitative analysis of the model including positivity and boundedness of solutions, as well as persistence are carried out. The epidemic threshold for the model is computed and used to assess the effects of gender-inequality affecting women in heterosexual settings. The obtained gender-inequality-induced reproductive number [Formula: see text] is greater than the reproductive number in the absence of gender-inequality [Formula: see text] suggesting that gender-inequality affecting women in heterosexual settings enlarges the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Numerical simulations are carried out using demographic and epidemiological parameters for Zimbabwe and the obtained results confirm that gender-inequality increases HIV/AIDS prevalence in heterosexual settings. We conclude from the study that gender-inequality affecting women among heterosexuals should be properly addressed for the effective control of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. </jats:p>