Question

Two directly transmitted viral diseases have the same basic reproduction number (R0), even though their dynamics are different. Which of the following differences between the two diseases could lead to the same basic reproduction number?

a) One disease has a higher transmission rate and a longer infectious period than the other.
b) One disease has a lower transmission rate and a longer infectious period than the other.
c) One disease has a lower transmission rate and a shorter infectious period than the other.
d) For one disease, the infectious period is long; for the other, no one recovers

Answer 1

The correct option that could result in two directly transmitted viral diseases having the same basic reproduction number (R0) is when one disease has a lower transmission rate and a shorter infectious period than the other.

Step-by-step explanation:

The correct option that could result in two directly transmitted viral diseases having the same basic reproduction number (R0) is option c) One disease has a lower transmission rate and a shorter infectious period than the other.

The basic reproduction number (R0) represents the average number of new infections caused by an infectious individual in a completely susceptible population. It is influenced by the transmission rate and the duration of the infectious period. In this scenario, even though the transmission rate is lower for one disease compared to the other, it compensates by having a much shorter infectious period, resulting in the same R0 value.

For example, Disease A may have a transmission rate of 0.5 (each infected individual infects 0.5 susceptible individuals on average) but an infectious period of 10 days, while Disease B may have a transmission rate of 1.0 but only a 5-day infectious period. Both diseases would have the same R0 value of 5, indicating that they have the same potential for spreading in a population.