- If <em>R<sub>0</sub></em> < 1, then the disease will eventually die out. On the other hand, if
- <em>R<sub>0</sub></em> > 1, the rate at which the disease spreads is exponential. Typically, it is difficult to
- determine <em>R<sub>0</sub></em> precisely, due to uncertainty in information relating to the spread of the disease.
- Therefore, many estimation methods exist, each based on their own models and yielding different estimates. It is the
- responsibility of public health officials to employ the most appropriate estimator given the situation at hand.
+ If <em>R</em><sub>0</sub> < 1, the disease will eventually die out. On the other hand, if
+ <em>R</em><sub>0</sub> > 1, the disease will spread (the higher the <em>R</em><sub>0</sub>, the faster this will
+ happen). Due to uncertainty of known data about the disease, it is difficult to determine <em>R</em><sub>0</sub>
+ precisely. Therefore, many estimation methods exist, each based on different assumptions and yielding different
+ estimates. It is the responsibility of users to employ the most appropriate estimator (or suite of estimators) given
+ the situation at hand.