A free boundary problem of a diffusive SIRS model with nonlinear incidence.

This paper is concerned with the spreading (persistence) and vanishing (extinction) of a disease which is characterized by a diffusive SIRS model with a bilinear incidence rate and free boundary. Through discussing the dynamics of a free boundary problem of an SIRS model, the spreading of a disease is described. We get the sufficient conditions which ensure the disease spreading or vanishing. In addition, the estimate of the expanding speed is also given when the free boundaries extend to the whole $$\mathbb {R}$$ . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]