Influenza A viruses cause significant morbidity and mortality annually, and the threat of a pandemic underscores the need for new therapeutic strategies. Here, we briefly discuss novel antiviral agents under investigation, the limitations of current antiviral therapy and stress the importance of secondary bacterial infections in seasonal and pandemic influenza. Additionally, the lack of new ant...

OBJECTIVES Our aim was to evaluate Korea's Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Plan. METHODS We conducted a sensitivity analysis on the expected number of outpatients and hospital bed occupancy, with 1,000,000 parameter combinations, in a situation of pandemic influenza, using the mathematical simulation program InfluSim. RESULTS Given the available resources in Korea, antiviral treatment and s...

Using estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organization, and published models of the expected evolution of pandemic influenza, we modeled the surge capacity of healthcare facility and intensive care unit (ICU) requirements over time in northern Netherlands (approximately 1.7 million population). We compared the demands of various scenarios with estimat...

BACKGROUND More than a year after an influenza pandemic was declared in June 2009, the World Health Organization declared the pandemic to be over. Evaluations of the pandemic response are beginning to appear in the public domain. DISCUSSION We argue that, despite the enormous effort made to control the pandemic, it is now time to acknowledge that many of the population-based public health int...

BACKGROUND Thailand has joined the World Health Organization effort to prepare against a threat of an influenza pandemic. Regular monitoring on preparedness of health facilities and assessment on perception of the front-line responsible health personnel has never been done. This study aimed to document the patterns of perception of health personnel toward the threat of an influenza pandemic. ...

The World Health Organization (WHO) and influenza experts worldwide are concerned that the recent appearance and widespread distribution of an avian influenza virus, influenza A/H5N1, has the potential to ignite the next influenza pandemic. It is estimated that even in the best-case scenarios, the pandemic will cause 2 to 7 million human death and tens of millions would require medical attentio...

BACKGROUND The chance of an influenza pandemic is real and clinicians should keep themselves informed about the rationale and science behind preventive and therapeutic principles relating to an (impending) influenza pandemic. DISCUSSION Vaccination is considered the best prevention in case of a pandemic threat and first choice to contain the impact of a pandemic. Pending the availability of a...

BACKGROUND One pathway through which pandemic influenza strains might emerge is reassortment from coinfection of different influenza A viruses. Seasonal influenza vaccines are designed to target the circulating strains, which intuitively decreases the prevalence of coinfection and the chance of pandemic emergence due to reassortment. However, individual-based analyses on 2009 pandemic influenza...