Introduction to Pandemic Influenza

Pandemic influenza is an example of an emerging pathogen that could have, and has had, serious public health consequences. Following three global pandemics in the last 100 years and the recent avian and swine influenza outbreaks, preparedness on national and international scales is of vital importance. With a strong emphasis on practical preparedness issues, and covering areas not dealt with by traditional texts, this book covers influenza epidemiology, vaccinology, virology and immunology, pharmaceutical and public health countermeasures, policy issues, biomathematical modelling, ethics and communication between health professionals and the public and promoting the better understanding of influenza that will be needed to battle future pandemics. Each chapter raises five key questions at the beginning and proceeds to answer them in clear and concise sections, also providing selected papers for further reading and detailing relevant modelling studies.