Survival schedules and the estimation of the basic reproduction number ($${{\varvec{R}}}_{0}$$) without the assumption of extreme cases

Closed form expressions for the estimation of \(\hbox {R}_{0}\) in age structured populations have been derived by making assumptions about the mortality of host populations. In general, these mortality assumptions tend to be unrealistic when compared with the survival schedules of most natural populations. Here, I review important results for the estimation of \(\hbox {R}_{0}\) when the force of infection is constant and age independent in age structured host populations. I also present the details of a simple method for \(\hbox {R}_{0}\) estimation that can use data on the age structure of a host population derived from cross-sectional epidemiological studies, provided a few but clearly stated assumptions are met. I illustrate the method using data from a cross-sectional study about cutaneous leishmaniasis exposure in dogs from an endemic rural village in Panamá and compare \(\hbox {R}_{0}\) estimates based on closed form expressions and using a smoothed survival schedule. Finally, the use of the smoothed survival schedule provided an R\(_{0}\) estimate bounded by those obtained using closed form expressions that make extreme assumptions about mortality.