Herd Immunity to Ebolaviruses Is Not a Realistic Target for Current Vaccination Strategies.

ABSTRACT: The recent West African Ebola virus pandemic, which affected >28,000 individuals increased interest in anti-Ebolavirus vaccination programs. Here, we systematically analyzed the requirements for a prophylactic vaccination program based on the basic reproductive number (R₀, i.e., the number of secondary cases that result from an individual infection). Published R₀ values were determined by systematic literature research and ranged from 0.37 to 20. R₀s ≥ 4 realistically reflected the critical early outbreak phases and superspreading events. Based on the R₀, the herd immunity threshold (I_c) was calculated using the equation I_c = 1 - (1/R₀). The critical vaccination cov

SUBMITTER: Masterson SG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5954026 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature