  Most epidemic models assume equal mixing among members of a population. An
alternative approach is to model a population as random network in which
individuals may have heterogeneous connectivity. This paper builds on previous
research by describing the exact dynamical behavior of epidemics as they occur
in random networks. A system of nonlinear differential equations is presented
which describes the behavior of epidemics spreading through random networks
with arbitrary degree distributions. The degree distribution is observed to
have significant impact on both the final size and time scale of epidemics.
