In what follows, we introduce new methodology for the estimation of both the daily reproductive number and the serial interval. We apply this method to data from two outbreaks on military ships in the 1918 influenza outbreak, as well as welldocumented outbreaks in five Maryland communities. The results from this method are compared to that of [12] . The results illustrate the differences in infectious disease dynamics between outbreaks in a closed population and a dynamic community.