Science Visualized Health & Medicine

One number can help explain why measles is so contagious

A disease’s R0 is the average number of people a person can infect in an unvaccinated population

child scratching measles rash

GOING VIRAL  Measles is extremely contagious. And one number, or rather a family of numbers, sums up the risk of its spread.

solidcolours/iStock/Getty Images Plus

By Helen Thompson

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