R0 (Basic Reproductive Number)

R0, or the Basic Reproductive Number, is a measurement used in epidemiology to indicate how contagious a disease is. It represents the average number of people that one infected person will spread the disease to in a population with no immunity. For example, an R0 of 2 means each infected person, on average, will infect two others. If R0 is greater than 1, the disease can spread quickly; if it’s less than 1, the outbreak will likely decline. Understanding R0 helps public health officials develop strategies to control outbreaks and vaccinations.