Abstract

Investigation into a modified deterministic rumour spread model using mathematical epidemiology approach as an extension of Daley and Kendall (D-K) model was carried out. It is proven that the spread of a rumour is fairly comparable to a contagious disease transmission, except that the spread depends solely on the fraction of individuals who are aware of the rumour at the early stage as well as the intrinsic rumour spread rate λ. Model simulation reveals a rumour diminishing strategy so far as R₀ – 1 is maintained.

Keywords: Mathematical model, Rumour, Spread of rumour, Moral, Etiquette class