# A network model for the propagation of Hepatitis C with HIV co-infection

## TL;DR

This paper models the spread of Hepatitis C with HIV co-infection across interconnected urban networks, capturing both local interactions and inter-city travel to understand epidemic dynamics.

## Contribution

It introduces a novel network-of-networks model that encodes city-level interactions and travel, providing insights into epidemic spread across urban areas.

## Key findings

- Propagation speed depends on initial infection location.
- Network structure influences epidemic extent.
- Travel between cities accelerates spread.

## Abstract

We define and examine a model of epidemic propagation for a virus such as Hepatitis C (with HIV co-infection) on a network of networks, namely the network of French urban areas. One network level is that of the individual interactions inside each urban area. The second level is that of the areas themselves, linked by individuals travelling between these areas and potentially helping the epidemic spread from one city to another. We choose to encode the second level of the network as extra, special nodes in the first level. We observe that such an encoding leads to sensible results in terms of the extent and speed of propagation of an epidemic, depending on its source point.