Effects of awareness diffusion and self-initiated awareness behavior on epidemic spreading -- an approach based on multiplex networks (Q2005045)

This paper studies effects of the interplay between awareness diffusion and self-initiated awareness behavior on epidemic spreading using multiplex networks. The infectious disease is assumed to spread over the contact network and the outbreak of the disease causes some infected and susceptible individuals to become aware of infection awareness. Then individuals take some measures to reduce the infection probability. Individuals not aware of the disease can be informed by other individuals with awareness via the information network and they can also have self-awareness due to the infected neighbors in their contact network or the effect of mass media. It is shown that the additional self-awareness considered here can reduce the density of infection but cannot move the epidemic threshold. It is also shown that hub nodes can lower infection probability in the contact network and hence play an important role in preventing spreading. Simulations by using Monte-Carlo approach have been conducted.