Role of fractal-fractional operators in modeling of rubella epidemic with optimized orders

Fractal-fractional (FF) differential and integral operators having the capability to subsume features of retaining memory and self-similarities are used in the present research analysis to design a mathematical model for the rubella epidemic while taking care of dimensional consistency among the model equations. Infectious diseases have history in their transmission dynamics and thus non-local operators such as FF play a vital role in modeling dynamics of such epidemics. Monthly actual rubella incidence cases in Pakistan for the years 2017 and 2018 have been used to validate the FF rubella model and such a data set also helps for parameter estimation. Using nonlinear least-squares estimation with MATLAB function lsqcurvefit, some parameters for the classical and the FF model are obtained. Upon comparison of error norms for both models (classical and FF), it is found that the FF produces the smaller error. Locally asymptotically stable points (rubella-free and rubella-present) of the model are computed when the basic reproduction number R-0 is less and greater than unity and the sensitivity is investigated. Moreover, solution of the FF rubella system is shown to exist. A new iterative method is proposed to carry out numerical simulations which resulted in getting insights for the transmission dynamics of the rubella epidemic.