History and reflection of pandemic influenza

The “Spanish flu” pandemic of 1918 caused serious damage to the world, and it promoted studies on influenza in the following decades. The influenza virus was successfully isolated, and an early influenza vaccine was produced in the 1930s. Additionally, several anti-viral drugs were developed since the 1960s. Although modern technologies enable us to better understand influenza and the influenza virus, the global prevention and control of influenza still pose challenge today, a 100 years later, owing to the complicated host range and frequent mutations of the influenza virus. An influenza pandemic is inevitable. How to think of animal influenza viruses that caused human infection, how to identify viruses with pandemic potential at an early stage, how to prepare for the vaccine of pandemic influenza, and what is the effect of containment strategy during a pandemic? Here, the above aspects are discussed and elicited for better responses to the next pandemic.