| 04 Avril 2012
GENEVA, 4 April 2012 -- An increasing amount of influenza research is being done in low and middle-income countries since the H1N1 influenza pandemic of 2009, according to a special theme issue of the Bulletin of the World Health Organization, published this month.
In the journal, scientists in China report that seasonal influenza causes significantly more mortality in the country than previously thought. Another article finds that influenza causes severe illness in children under five years of age in a rural district of western Kenya, and researchers in Australia and Indonesia look at ways to reduce avian influenza transmission in live animal markets in Indonesia.
Dr Nikki Shindo, a medical officer in the Department of Pandemic and Epidemic Diseases at the World Health Organization, said: “This special theme issue highlights that influenza is a very significant public health challenge.”
“The theme issue is an important contribution to the debate on influenza” Shindo says, “bringing together both the present picture and the problems that the scientific community and the public may face in years to come.”
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The Bulletin of the World Health Organization is one of the world’s leading public health journals. It is the flagship periodical of WHO, with a special focus on developing countries. Articles are peer-reviewed and are independent of WHO guidelines. Abstracts are now available in the six official languages of the United Nations.
Also in this month's issue:
- Influenza still vexing scientists
- Timely interventions could lessen severity of future influenza pandemics
- Medium is the message for influenza communication
- Obstacles to effective influenza surveillance in Peru
- What are the next steps for pandemic preparedness?
The April issue table of contents can be found at: http://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/90/4/en/index.html
The complete contents of the Bulletin, since 1948, is available free to all readers worldwide through PubMed Central, available at: http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/tocrender.fcgi?journal=522&action=archive
