Concepts

Basic Reproduction Number

R nought, sometimes read R zero

Also Known As R0, R naught

Citation Formats

General Reference

Health and Wellness Atlas. "Basic Reproduction Number." Accessed August 30, 2026. https://health.interactiveatlas.org/concepts/basic-reproduction-number.

APA Style

Health and Wellness Atlas. (n.d.). Basic Reproduction Number. Retrieved August 30, 2026, from https://health.interactiveatlas.org/concepts/basic-reproduction-number

BibTeX

@misc{healthandwellnessatlas-basic-reproduction-number,
  author = {Health and Wellness Atlas},
  title = {Basic Reproduction Number},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://health.interactiveatlas.org/concepts/basic-reproduction-number},
  note = {Accessed August 30, 2026}
}

A measure, denoted R0, of the average number of new infections a single infectious case produces in a population with no prior immunity, used to judge how contagious a disease is and how large a share of a population must be immune for herd immunity to take hold.

Facts

First Described Yearthe subject's own account

1952 1

First Described Erathe subject's own account

Modern epidemiological formalization by George Macdonald, 1952; earlier roots in Ronald Ross and Alfred Lotka's early 20th-century work 1

Concept Class

Epidemiology, measurement 2

Cross-Tradition Connections