R0 Isn’t the Whole Story!

Everyone’s obsessed with R0 (the basic reproduction number) during outbreaks, but here’s the tea: it’s not the magic number we think it is. R0 only tells part of the story—other factors like transmission rates, recovery times, and population structure matter just as much (if not more) for predicting and controlling epidemics. Overreliance on R0 can actually lead to bad public health decisions! Next time you see R0 in the headlines, remember: context is everything. #Epidemiology #PublicHealth #ScienceExplained #PandemicLessons #Health