Stability analysis in a class of discrete SIRS epidemic models

In this paper, the dynamical behaviors of a class of discrete-time SIRS epidemic models are discussed. The conditions for the existence and local stability of the disease-free equilibrium and endemic equilibrium are obtained. The numerical simulations not only illustrate the validity of our results, but also exhibit more complex dynamical behaviors, such as flip bifurcation, Hopf bifurcation and chaos phenomenon. These results reveal far richer dynamical behaviors of the discrete epidemic model compared with the continuous epidemic models.