Incorporating changeable attitudes toward vaccination into an SIR infectious disease model

We develop a mechanistic model that classifies individuals both in terms of epidemiological status (SIR) and vaccination attitude (willing or unwilling), with the goal of discovering how disease spread is influenced by changing opinions about vaccination. Analysis of the model identifies existence and stability criteria for both disease-free and endemic disease equilibria. The analytical results, supported by numerical simulations, show that attitude changes induced by disease prevalence can destabilize endemic disease equilibria, resulting in limit cycles.