Estimates of the reproduction number for seasonal, pandemic, and zoonotic influenza: a systematic review of the literature.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The potential impact of an influenza pandemic can be assessed by calculating a set of transmissibility parameters, the most important being the reproduction number (R), which is defined as the average number of secondary cases generated per typical infectious case.

Methods

We conducted a systematic review to summarize published estimates of R for pandemic or seasonal influenza and for novel influenza viruses (e.g. H5N1). We retained and summarized papers that estimated R for pandemic or seasonal influenza or for human infections with novel influenza viruses.

Results

The search yielded 567 papers. Ninety-one papers were retained, and an additional twenty papers were identified from the references of the retained papers. Twenty-four studies reported 51 R valu

SUBMITTER: Biggerstaff M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4169819 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature