A simple influenza model with complicated dynamics (Q1731925)

The authors propose and analyze a novel model to study the transmission dynamics of an influenza-like infection induced by a single strain. They use a set of differential equations that models the immunity to infection and the punctuated antigenic drift of the virus. By doing some mathematical analysis, the authors show that the model can exhibit some interesting dynamical behavior, such as fixed points, periodic solutions, or even chaos. They also observe the existence of two distinct basins of attraction by performing numerical simulations. The model is new and the results can provide new insight into the study of transmission dynamics of influenza.