Table 1.
Reported estimates of the basic reproduction number of pandemic influenza during the fall wave (2nd wave) from 1918–19
| Location | Serial interval (days) | R0 | Fitting of a time-independent system with the entire epidemic curve | Reference |
| San Francisco, USA | 6 6 |
3.5 2.4 |
Yes No |
10 |
| 45 cities in the USA | 6† | 2.7 | No | 8 |
| UK (entire England and Wales)‡ | 6 | 1.6 | Yes | 7 |
| Geneva, Switzerland | 5.7 | 3.8 | Yes | 11 |
| Sao Paulo, Brazil | 4.6§ | 2.7 | Yes | 12 |
| 83 cities in the UK | 3.2 and 2.6 | 1.7–2.0 | No | 6 |
| 45 cities in the USA | 2.9 | 1.7 | No | 9 |
| Featherston Military Camp, New Zealand¶ |
1.6 1.1 0.9 |
3.1 1.8 1.3 |
Yes | 13 |
†Sensitivity of the R estimates to different assumptions for the serial interval was examined; ‡Three pandemic waves were simultaneously fitted assuming a large number of susceptible individuals but the statistical details were not given;§Parameter estimates from previous work were shown [40], but these did not match the assumed parameter values given in the Table; ¶The epidemic was observed in a community with closed contact (i.e. military camp).