The rate of spread of infection in models for the deterministic host- vector epidemic (Q1066843)

This paper is a sequel to previous articles by the authors, ibid. 70, 123-146 (1984; Zbl 0567.92018) and by the authors and \textit{W. D. Stirling}, Math. Proc. Camb. Philos. Soc. 91, 131-152 (1982; Zbl 0483.92014), and concerns host-vector epidemics in which hosts and vectors are either susceptible or infectious. Infectivity is allowed to depend on the time since infection and on the distance between susceptible and infectious individuals. Wave solutions were considered in the previous papers and the existence of a critical speed \(c_ 0\) was established under certain conditions. This paper considers an epidemic which is triggered by the introduction of infectives from the outside into a population. It is shown that, under appropriate assumptions, there is a finite positive asymptotic speed of propagation of infection. This speed is the minimal speed at which a wave solution of speed c exists.