How contagious is measles? What is R0?
Today I want to take a look at the Basic Reproduction Number, or R0 (r-naught). We saw this term become more commonplace in the news and other talk during the COVID-19 pandemic.
What is R0 and what does it mean? How do public health officials come up with this number? What are the limitations? And how is it used in everyday public health?
Joining me to offer some clarity on R0 is Chandana Bala. Chandy is a science writer for Gideon Informatics.
Watch more interviews, news and information: Subscribe to Outbreak New TV on YouTube
The elephant in the room was never discussed during the Covid outbreak. Ro vs. Rt. Covid caused allegedly under 100,000 reported deaths in China. It occurred just before and during the Lunar New Year, the largest travel event in China. Arguably, China is Rt. What are we missing?
According to the cdc there was 3 to 4 million "estimated" cases a year in the decade before 1963. With 55 million children in 1955 divided by 17 years you would get 3.2 million children on average for each age. For 1957 it would be 3.5 million which would be the middle of the decade before 1963. For 1953 it would be 3.06 million and 1962 3.9. This looks like the calculation was simply made based on their belief in life long immunity and everyone getting 'it.
In Europe the cabbage is credited for providing vitamin C in the late winter. This would be a time when fruit was running out and new crops were not ready yet. There is people saying modern fruit has too much sugar even tho a lot of it is not ripe and lacks sugar. They tell people sugar causes diabetes even tho diabetes is insulin resistance caused by fat and too little fruit. This means there is people avoiding juice and fruit. In the 60s vitamin C was popularized. People would have grape fruit for breakfast and orange juice. There was juicers so people could make their own juice and tropical fruits people had never tried before. Between 2016 and 2020 scurvy in children more than tripled from 8.2 to 26.7 cases per 100,000. Symptoms can include a rash that does not fade when you press a glass against it and sensitivity to light.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5ZoytMoL8Q