The transmission of infectious diseases depends on the social networks among people and the protections that people have taken before being exposed to the disease. Mass media is playing a key role in making the public aware of the disease and its transmissibility and severity. Motivated by the importance of heterogeneous risk perception in the population to response to infectious disease outbreaks  , we propose a heterogeneous three-layer network model, namely the Susceptible-Exposed-Infectious-Recovered Unaware-Aware-Protected (SEIR-UAP) model, where people's vulnerability to the disease is influenced by the processes of awareness information diffusion, preventive behavior changeand infectious disease transmission. We found that (a ) the awareness of the disease plays the central role in preventing disease outbreak ; (b) we need a reasonable ratio of "over-reacting" nodes to effectively control the disease outbreak ; (c) diseases with a longer incubation period and a higher recovery rate are easier to control because the processes of information diffusion and behavior change can help people prepare for the upcoming exposure to the disease ; (d) it is more difficult to control the disease with asymptomatic cases. The results provide evidence that mass media should not play down the transmissibility and severity of diseases , so that the public can become aware of the disease as soon as possible .
 Motivated by the importance of individual differences in risk perception and behavior change in people's responses to infectious disease outbreaks (particularly the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic) , we propose a heterogeneous Disease-Behavior-Information (hDBI) transmission model, in which people's risk of getting infected is influenced by information diffusion, behavior change, and disease transmission. We use both a mean-field approximation and Monte Carlo simulations to analyze the dynamics of the model. Information diffusion influences behavior change by allowing people to be aware of the disease and adopt self-protection, and subsequently affects disease transmission by changing the actual infection rate. Results show that (a) awareness plays a central role in epidemic prevention ; (b) a reasonable fraction of "over-reacting" nodes are needed in epidemic prevention ; (c) R0 has different effects on epidemic outbreak for cases with and without asymptomatic infection ; (d) social influence on behavior change can remarkably decrease the epidemic outbreak size. This research indicates that the media and opinion leaders should not understate the transmissibility and severity of diseases to ensure that people could become aware of the disease and adopt self-protection to protect themselves and the whole population .
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The transmission of infectious diseases depends on the social networks among people and the protections that people have taken before being exposed to the disease. Mass media is playing a key role in making the public aware of the disease and its transmissibility and severity.
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heterogeneous risk perception in the population to response to
individual differences in risk perception and behavior change in people's responses to
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(particularly the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic)
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three-layer network model, namely the Susceptible-Exposed-Infectious-Recovered Unaware-Aware-Protected (SEIR-UAP) model, where
Disease-Behavior-Information (hDBI) transmission model, in which
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vulnerability to the disease
risk of getting infected
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the processes of awareness
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preventive behavior changeand infectious
behavior change, and
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found that (a ) the awareness of the disease plays the
use both a mean-field approximation and Monte Carlo simulations to analyze the dynamics of the model. Information diffusion influences behavior change by allowing people to be aware of the disease and adopt self-protection, and subsequently affects disease transmission by changing the actual infection rate. Results show that (a) awareness plays a
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preventing disease outbreak
epidemic prevention
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we need a reasonable ratio
a reasonable fraction
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to effectively control the disease outbreak
are needed in epidemic prevention
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diseases with a longer incubation period and a higher recovery rate are easier to control because the processes of information diffusion and behavior change can help people prepare for the upcoming exposure to the disease
R0 has different effects on epidemic outbreak for cases with and without asymptomatic infection
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it is more difficult to control the disease with asymptomatic cases. The results provide evidence that mass media should not play down
social influence on behavior change can remarkably decrease the epidemic outbreak size. This research indicates that the media and opinion leaders should not understate
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, so that the public can
to ensure that people could
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as soon as possible
and adopt self-protection to protect themselves and the whole population