THE CONTINUOUS THREAT OF AN INFLUENZA PANDEMIC REPRESENTS ONE OF THE
BIGGEST CHAL-lenges in public health. Influenza pandemics are known to be caused by
viruses that evolve from animal reservoirs, such as in birds and pigs, and can acquire
genetic changes that increase their ability to transmit in humans. Pandemic preparedness
plans have been implemented worldwide to mitigate the impact of influenza pandemics. A
major obstacle in preventing influenza pandemics is that little is known regarding what …