In retrospect, I could not have come to a better laboratory, as the first cases of human-infecting H7N9 influenza strains made their appearance in China in the spring of 2013.
As we work at the phenotype level, our framework can also be used to study pandemic influenza and antigenic shift (appearance of new influenza subtypes within humans).
This approach could be applied to the temperate and other tropical regions, to provide more insight into the mechanisms of seasonal appearance of influenza viruses.
This article summarizes these challenges, illustrated by the initial appearance of influenza A pandemic (H1N1) 2009 virus during spring 2009 in Mexico City, Mexico, and New York (NYC), New York, USA (metropolitan area populations 20 million and 19 million, respectively).
In the current study, 10 (50%) patients were treated with oseltamivir, whereby in 5 (25%) patients treatment was started several days after the appearance of influenza symptoms or ICU admission.
The responses of Mexico City and New York City to the initial appearance of influenza A pandemic (H1N1) 2009 virus during spring 2009 illustrate some of the new challenges and creative response strategies that will increasingly be needed in cities worldwide.
The 2009 flu pandemic and the appearance of oseltamivir-resistant H1N1 influenza strains highlight the need for treatment alternatives.
With the recent observation of new highly pathogenic H5N1 and H7N7 strains, and the appearance of the influenza pandemic caused by the H1N1 swine-like lineage, collaborative efforts to share observations on the influenza virus in both animals and humans has been established.
The simultaneous appearance of avian influenza in eight countries, particularly in one region, is "unprecedented," the World Health Organization says.
There was a 7-fold increase in seasonal influenza vaccination rates after the appearance of the pandemic virus (X2, p<0.001).
