The anti-vaxx movement and epidemic spreading in the era of social networks: nonmonotonic effects, bistability and network segregation

Abstract

In this work, we address a multicoupled dynamics on complex networks with tunable structural segregation. Specifically, we work at a networked epidemic spreading under a vaccination campaign with agents in favor and against the vaccine. Our results show that such coupled dynamics exhibit a myriad of phenomena such as nonequilibrium transitions accompanied by bistability. Besides we observe the emergence of an intermediate optimal segregation level where the community structure can favor the negative opinions about vaccination but counterintuitively hinders - rather than enhance - the global disease spreading. Thus, our results point out that vaccination campaigns should avoid policies that end up segregating excessively anti-vaccine groups.