SIS reaction-diffusion model with risk-induced dispersal under free boundary

Abstract

A spatial susceptible-infected-susceptible epidemic model with a free boundary, where infected individuals disperse non-uniformly, is investigated in this study. Spatial heterogeneity and movement of individuals are essential factors that affect pandemics and the eradication of infectious diseases. Our goal is to investigate the effect of a dispersal strategy for infected individuals, known as risk-induced dispersal (RID), which represents the motility of infected individuals induced by risk depending on whether they are in a high- or a low-risk region. We first construct the basic reproduction number and then understand the manner in which a nonuniform movement of infected individuals affects the spreading-vanishing dichotomy of a disease in a one-dimensional domain. We conclude that even though the infected individuals reside in a high-risk initial domain, the disease can be eradicated from the region if the infected individuals move with a high sensitivity of RID as they disperse. Finally, we demonstrate our results via simulations for a one-dimensional case. (C) 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.