Carolina Solomon, of UCF's School of Data, Mathematical and Statistical Sciences, will speak on "Modeling the Effects of Post-Infection Mortality on Malaria Dynamics" at this week's seminar.
Abstract: In 2025, the World Health Organization reported 282 million malaria cases, approximately 610,000 of which were fatal. About 95% of those fatalities were caused by the Plasmodium falciparum strain. Unlike other strains, P. falciparum can cause mortality after recovery due to long-term effects of cerebral malaria and severe anemia.
To study the impact of post-infection mortality, we formulated a modified susceptible, exposed, infected and removed (SEIR) disease model for P. falciparum and investigated how incorporating the PIM factor changes disease dynamics. Analytical and numerical studies show oscillations at parameter values driven by the joint impact of reinfection and mortality among recovered individuals. This can inform public health by showing how P. falciparum disease dynamics may differ from what we previously believed and highlighting a possible need for longer-term monitoring of recovered patients.
Short Bio: Carolina Solomon is a third-year mathematics major at UCF. She was supported by the 2026 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship to investigate how post-infection mortality affects malaria dynamics. She hopes to continue her research in mathematical epidemiology and complete an undergraduate honors thesis in her final year at UCF.
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