BIFURCATIONS OF AN SIRS EPIDEMIC MODEL WITH NONLINEAR INCIDENCE RATE

The main purpose of this paper is to explore the dynamics of an epidemic model with a general nonlinear incidence beta SI(p)/(1 + alpha I(q)). The existence and stability of multiple endemic equilibria of the epidemic model are analyzed. Local bifurcation theory is applied to explore the rich dynamical behaviour of the model. Normal forms of the model are derived for different types of bifurcations, including Hopf and Bogdanov-Takens bifurcations. Concretely speaking, the first Lyapunov coefficient is computed to determine various types of Hopf bifurcations. Next, with the help of the Bogdanov-Takens normal form, a family of homoclinic orbits is a rising when a Hopf and a saddle-node bifurcation merge. Finally, some numerical results and simulations are presented to illustrate these theoretical results.