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Influenza: Strains constantly changing
18 Apr 2008
Influenza strains are in constant evolution and their impact on global health seems to follow a path starting in Asia, scientists looking into the topic have claimed.
A team of researchers from Europe, Australia, Japan and the US analysed 13,000 samples of the influenza A virus, collected around the world by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
The study, published in the journal Science, looked at a protein called haemagglutinin in the samples for small changes that could impact on the ability of the flu virus to enter the immune system and cause disease.
Close study of the samples revealed that strains emerge in east and south-east Asia before appearing in Europe and the US some six to nine months later.
Researchers believe that by monitoring the spread of influenza and how it changes they can make significant progress in developing the design of flu vaccines to manage the virus as it continues to evolve.
"The flu virus is constantly mutating, so it's a major challenge for public health as well as a fascinating example of evolution in action," said Katrina Kelner, Science's deputy managing editor for life sciences.
"This study advances our knowledge of how new flu strains spread across the globe and how epidemics arise," she added.
Despite the findings, researchers stressed that the current flu vaccine works "extremely" well and that people should continue to receive vaccinations annually.
According to the WHO, annual influenza epidemics result in an estimated three to five million cases of severe illnesses every year.
Click here to learn more about flu
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