The R0 value for seasonal flu is predicted to be around 1.2 while polio is estimated to be between 5 - 7 and measles is calculated to be between 12 - 18. What would cause the R0 value to differ between different pathogens?
R0 - Reproduction number
The basic reproduction number (R0), also called the basic reproduction ratio or rate or the basic reproductive rate, is an epidemiologic metric used to describe the contagiousness or transmissibility of infectious agents.
Different R0 for different pathogens
Any factor having the potential to influence the contact rate, including population density (e.g., rural vs. urban), social organization (e.g., integrated vs. segregated), and seasonality (e.g., wet vs. rainy season for vectorborne infections), will ultimately affect R0. Because R0 is a function of the effective contact rate, the value of R0 is a function of human social behavior and organization, as well as the innate biological characteristics of particular pathogens.
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