Transmission coefficient (epidemiology)

Do you know what a shield is that you wear when you play superheroes? You wear it so that you don't get hit or hurt by anything that could make you sick or hurt you.

Imagine that the same thing is happening with the germs and sickness. Our body is like a shield and it does everything to protect us against the sickness that goes around in the air or on the surfaces we touch. Sometimes the sickness can still get through our shield and make us sick.

The transmission coefficient is like that shield's strength. It helps us figure out how strong our shield is against the sickness. If the transmission coefficient is strong, then the sickness has an easy way to get through our shield and make us sick. If the transmission coefficient is weak, then our shield is doing a really good job and protecting us from sicknesses.

The transmission coefficient is a number that tells us how easy or difficult it is for a sickness to spread from one person to another. The higher the number, the easier it is for the sickness to get from person to person, and the lower the number, the harder it is. It is important to know the transmission coefficient so that we can prepare and protect ourselves and others from getting sick.