Traffic Driven Epidemic Spreading in Homogeneous Networks with Community Structure

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To understand the effect of the community structure on the epidemic propagation in homogeneous networks, a model of pseudo-random network is presented with adjustable community structure and constant average degree. In the scenario that the propagation is driven by reaction processes from nodes to all neighbors, pronounced community structure can reduce the epidemic propagation velocity. While in the situation that epidemic pathway is defined by traffic flows, the epidemic spreading in networks with pronounced community structure is obviously accelerated instead. When it is extended to the SIS model with traffic flows, the epidemic threshold is found to be proportional to the inverse of the average betweenness. Simulation results have confirmed the theoretical predictions.