Influenza epidemic: what is it and what to do?

Abstract

Influenza is a highly contagious respiratory disease caused by a pathogen that continues to evolve and threaten both veterinary and human public health. Influenza A viruses are continually undergoing molecular changes through mutations, reassortment, and, in rare instances, recombination. Influenza A viruses can infect large numbers of warm-blooded animals, including wild birds, domestic birds, pigs, horses, and humans. These viruses can switch hosts to form new lineages in novel hosts. The most significant of these events is the emergence of antigenically novel influenza A viruses in humans, leading to pandemics. It is very likely that the influenza virus (AH1N1) that lead to the 2009 pandemic will continue circulating into the world in the coming years.