Reproduction numbers and the expanding fronts for a diffusion-advection SIS model in heterogeneous time-periodic environment

TL;DR

This paper analyzes a time-periodic heterogeneous SIS model with free boundaries, exploring how spatial heterogeneity, advection, and periodicity influence disease persistence, eradication, and spreading speeds.

Contribution

It introduces new reproduction numbers considering heterogeneity and advection, establishing conditions for disease spreading or vanishing in a periodic environment.

Findings

Established a spreading-vanishing dichotomy.

Derived conditions for disease persistence or eradication.

Calculated asymptotic spreading speeds of the disease fronts.

Abstract

This paper deals with a simplified SIS model, which describes the transmission of the disease in time-periodic heterogeneous environment. To understand the impact of spatial heterogeneity of environment and small advection on the persistence and eradication of an infectious disease, the left and right free boundaries are introduced to represent the expanding fronts. The basic reproduction numbers $R_0^D$ and $R_0^F(t)$, which depends on spatial heterogeneity, temporal periodicity and advection, are introduced. A spreading-vanishing dichotomy is established and sufficient conditions for the spreading and vanishing of the disease are given. The asymptotic spreading speeds for the left and right fronts are also presented.