Abstract
A deterministic model for a multi-agent disease epidemic with asymptomatic attacks is proposed and investigated. The limitations inherent in the assumptions of the model are discussed in connection with specific agents of disease. The mathematical treatment of the model is separated into analyses of the equilibrium situation and the transient behavior of the disease outbreak. Explicit formulas are derived for the number of susceptibles in the population as well as for the numbers of each type of infective—those with and without symptoms. These theoretical results are followed by a discussion of the practical considerations which must be taken into account to obtain useful information from the model.
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This work was supported in part by National Library of Medicine Training Grant Number 5 T01 LM00160 and in part by National Institutes of Health National Research Service Award Number 1 F32 GMO 5839 from the Institute of General Medical Sciences.
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Kemper, J.T. The effects of asymptomatic attacks on the spread of infectious disease: A deterministic model. Bltn Mathcal Biology 40, 707–718 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02460601
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02460601