Reservoirs for the continuing influenza (H5N1) outbreaks in Egypt are ill-defined. Through active surveillance, we detected highly pathogenic influenza subtype H5 viruses in all poultry sectors; incidence was 5%. No other subtypes were found. Continued circulation of influenza (H5N1) viruses in various regions and poultry sectors perpetuates human exposure in Egypt.

Influenza is a human pathogen that continues to pose a public health threat. The use of small mammalian models has become indispensable for understanding the virulence of influenza viruses. Among numerous species used in the laboratory setting, only the ferret model is equally well suited for studying both the pathogenicity and transmissibility of human and avian influenza viruses. Here, we com...

The goal of this review is to provide an overview of existing research on the environmental tenacity of avian influenza (AI) viruses, to identify gaps in our current understanding, and discuss how this information relates to AI control, eradication, and prevention. We are just beginning to understand the environmental factors that affect infectivity and the extent of variation in environmental ...

n engl j med 368;20 nejm.org may 16, 2013 1864 critical in implementing successful prevention and control activities. The detection of human H7N9 virus infections is yet another reminder that we must continue to prepare for the next influenza pandemic. The coming weeks will reveal whether the epidemiology reflects only a widespread zoonosis, whether an H7N9 pandemic is beginning, or something i...

What makes the 1918 Spanish influenza pandemic stand out from all the others is its wellknownW-shaped mortality signature, which was caused by unusually high mortality among adults aged 20 to 40 [1]. Much debate remains as to the exact reason for this atypical pattern [2]. A contribution by Worobey et al. [3] published recently in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) is no...

BACKGROUND H7N9 posed potentially serious health challenges for Chinese society. The previous SARS outbreak in this country was accompanied by contradictory information, while worries about wide-spread influenza led to discrimination worldwide. Early understanding of public threat perceptions is therefore important for effective public health communication and intervention. METHODS We intervi...

Epidemics are frequently simulated on redundantly wired contact networks, which have many more links between sites than are minimally required to connect all. Consequently, the modelled pathogen can travel numerous alternative routes, complicating effective containment strategies. These networks have moreover been found to exhibit 'scale-free' properties and percolation, suggesting resilience t...

  Although migratory waterfowl is well known to be a major reservoir for avian influenza virus (AIV), there are only few recently published reports about the seroprevalence of AIV in this group of birds. To investigate the AIV antibody status in migratory waterfowl of Iran, we collected 217 serum samples from 25 different species of waterfowl during 2003 and 2004. These serum samples were teste...

To determine duck hunters'risk for highly pathogenic avian influenza, we surveyed duck hunters in Georgia, USA, during 2007-2008, about their knowledge, attitudes, and practices. We found they engage in several practices that could expose them to the virus. Exposures and awareness were highest for those who had hunted >10 years.

H5N1, highly pathogenic avian influenza, continues to pose a public health risk in the countries of southeast Asia where it has become endemic. However, in Thailand, which experienced two of the largest recorded epidemics in 2004-2005, the disease has been successfully reduced to very low levels. We fitted a spatio-temporal model of the spread of infection to outbreak data collected during the ...