A strongly nonlinear reaction diffusion model for a deterministic diffusive epidemic (Q1894993)

A mathematical model describing the spread of an infectious disease (or a rumour) in a confined spatially continuously distributed population is analyzed. The mathematical validity of the model is proved by means of a uniqueness-existence theorem. With \(u(t, x)\) and \(v(t, x)\) representing spatial densities of susceptibles and infectives, the model is described by the following system of strongly coupled reaction-diffusion equations for \(t> 0\), \(0< x< 1\): \[ u_t- \theta u_{xx}= - \beta u(\alpha v_{xx}+ v),\quad v_t- \varphi v_{xx}= \beta u(\alpha v_{xx}+ v)- \lambda v \] supplemented by boundary and initial conditions \(u_x(t, 0)= u_x(t, 1)= 0= v_x(t, 0)= v_x(t, 1)\) and \(u(0, x)= u_0(x)\geq 0\), \(v(0, x)= v_0(x)\geq 0\). The factor \(\alpha\) refers to the spatial influence of infectives, and \(\theta\) and \(\varphi\) to the migration-rates of susceptibles and infectives, respectively.