Measles has the highest documented basic reproduction number of any known human infectious disease, with published estimates commonly ranging from 12 to 18 secondary infections per case in a fully susceptible population — meaning a community typically needs about 95% vaccination coverage to achieve herd immunity, higher than for almost any other vaccine-preventable disease.
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Measles has the highest documented basic reproduction number of any known human infectious disease, with published estimates commonly ranging from 12 to 18 secondary infections per case in a fully susceptible population — meaning a community typically needs about 95% vaccination coverage to achieve herd immunity, higher than for almost any other vaccine-preventable disease.
The highest published estimate of the basic reproduction number — the average number of secondary infections caused by one infected individual in a fully susceptible population — for any human infectious disease in peer-reviewed epidemiological literature.
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Limits Registry. LR-HIGHEST-KNOWN-BASIC-REPRODUCTION-NUMBER. Highest basic reproduction number (R0) estimated for a human infectious disease. 2026.