Pandemic influenza: a primer

Influenza maintains a special position in human medicine as the cause of the greatest pandemic of disease in all of human history as well as a continuous and significant source of worldwide morbidity and mortality every year. The very nature of the influenza virus allows it to evade and adapt to the human population. We currently have useful tools such as vaccination and antiviral medications to limit this burden; however, appropriate vaccines take time to prepare, and antiviral drug resistance has emerged as a significant problem. Continued vigilance and pandemic planning are essential, given the continued threat of novel strains that can arise and rapidly cause disease across the world.