Climate-driven modelling of the spread and control of West Nile virus and Usutu virus in Germany

This presentation is part of the slides I used during my PhD defense at the University of Hamburg, on 9 October 2026. The work investigates the ecology, geographical spread, and control of West Nile virus (WNV) and Usutu virus (USUV) in Germany using mathematical modelling approaches. The work combines ordinary differential equation (ODE) models, spatial reaction-diffusion-advection models, temperature-dependent transmission parameters, and optimal control theory to address three central research questions: How do temperature and host movement influence the transmission suitability and geographical spread of WNV in Germany? How do temperature and host movement shape the spread of USUV, and how does its spatial transmission patterns differ from that of WNV? Which intervention strategies and seasonal timing may reduce WNV burden among different host populations? The slides summarise results from the thesis and original publications that are cited in the presentation.