Flu (Influenza)

• Is it a Cold or the Flu? (PDF)—Compare symptoms, treatment, prevention strategies, and complications of influenza and the common cold.
• ¿Es un Resfrío o la Influenza? (PDF)—Comparación de los sintomas, el tratamiento, estrageias de prevención, y las complicaciónes de la influenza y el resfrío.
• Microbes: In Sickness and in Health (PDF)—Microbes are tiny organisms, too tiny to see without a microscope. This booklet describes how some microbes are essential for a healthy life while others cause disease.
• Understanding Vaccines: What They Are, How They Work (PDF)—This booklet contains general information on what vaccines are, how they prevent disease, how they are made and tested, and future vaccine research.

• Centers of Excellence for Influenza Research and Surveillance (CEIRS) Network Program Review (PDF)—In March 2007, the CEIRS network was established to combine basic flu research, surveillance, and diverse scientific expertise to advance the science and serve as a resource for the broader flu research community. This report summarizes the network's accomplishments since 2007, including responses to the 2009 H1N1 influenza flu pandemic. October 2011.
• Centers of Excellence for Influenza Research and Surveillance (CEIRS): Report of the Expert Panel Review (PDF)—This expert panel met to evaluate the scope, objectives, current structure and progress of the CEIRS network, make recommendations about opportunities to improve its effectiveness, and provide guidance on the future of the program. Oct. 14, 2011.
• NIAID 2011 Influenza Antiviral Research Pipeline Workshop (PDF)—This meeting addressed the discovery, proof of principle, late preclinical development, and advanced clinical development of flu antivirals, with the goal of identifying issues and challenges affecting the drug development community. March 23-24, 2011.
• NIAID Influenza Research: 2009 Progress Report (PDF)—In 2006, NIAID convened a Blue Ribbon Panel on Influenza Research to provide guidance for future NIAID flu research. This report describes NIAID's progress in influenza research during the following three years. 2009.
• Report of the Blue Ribbon Panel on Influenza Research (PDF)—After a comprehensive examination of its influenza portfolio, NIAID convened a Blue Ribbon Panel on Influenza Research to identify areas of influenza research in which progress was needed and strategic principles to guide future research efforts. Sept. 11-12, 2006.

• 2009 H1N1 Influenza Improvement Plan (PDF)—In 2012, the Department of Health and Human Services issued a report reviewing the steps taken to address the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic and outlining a set of priorities for preparation for future pandemics. May 29, 2012.
• Meeting Summary: Development and Use of Antivirals for Pandemic Influenza (PDF)—An international group of researchers, clinicians, and public health practitioners gathered for this meeting on the development and use of antivirals for pandemic flu. Nov. 8-9, 2006.
• HHS Pandemic Influenza Plan (PDF)—This blueprint for pandemic influenza preparation and response provides guidance to national, state, and local policy makers and health departments. November 2005.
• Meeting Report: Development of a Clinical Trial Plan for Pandemic Influenza Vaccines—Individuals from NIH and other HHS agencies met with the goal of framing a research plan for the development and clinical evaluation of pandemic influenza vaccines. Sept. 22-23, 2003.
• Additional seasonal and pandemic influenza planning documents at the federal level

• Influenza Vaccines for the Future—NIAID scientists, in this article in the New England Journal of Medicine, describe the current use of vaccines for influenza control, challenges and new techniques associated with vaccine production, and the next generation of flu vaccines. November 2010.
• Understanding Influenza Backward—This article in the Journal of the American Medical Association, describes parallels between the 1918-19 influenza pandemic and the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, including the recurring “waves” of infections in the months that followed the initial outbreaks during both pandemics. August 2010.
• Induction of Broadly Neutralizing H1N1 Influenza Antibodies by Vaccination—In this article in the journal Science, scientists led by NIAID's Vaccine Research Center explain that prime-boost immunization stimulates the generation of broadly neutralizing H1N1 influenza antibodies directed to the stem region of the flu virus hemagglutinin, and may serve as a first-generation universal flu vaccine. July 2010.
• Influenza Virus Evolution, Host Adaptation and Pandemic Formation—In this article in Cell Host and Microbe, NIAID scientists review the evolution of influenza A viruses in their hosts and discuss the genetic changes that lead to pandemic and seasonal flu viruses. June 2010.
• Pandemic Influenza – Including a Risk Assessment of H5N1—In this review article in Revue Scientifique et Technique, NIAID scientists describe the history of influenza pandemics and consider how it may help guide future pandemic planning and improve understanding of the complex ecobiology behind the formation of pandemic strains. April 2009.
• Predominant Role of Bacterial Pneumonia as a Cause of Death in Pandemic Influenza: Implications for Pandemic Influenza Preparedness—By analyzing postmortem samples of patients who died during the 1918-19 flu pandemic, NIAID scientists found that most deaths likely resulted from secondary bacterial pneumonia caused by common upper respiratory tract bacteria. This paper appeared in the Journal of Infectious Diseases. October 2008.
• 1918 Influenza: the Mother of All Pandemics—According to this article by NIAID scientists in Emerging Infectious Diseases, new information about the virus that caused the 1918 influenza pandemic is emerging, and further experimentation and historical analysis will help researchers understand the its implications for future pandemics. January 2006.

NIAID Director Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., is often called upon for expert testimony before Congress on various infectious disease issues, including influenza. In recent years, topics of focus have included pandemic influenza, the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, and issues associated with flu research.

• Dual Use Research of Concern: Balancing Benefits and Risks (PDF)—In 2011, two studies on H5N1 avian flu transmissibility and pathogenesis drew global attention and led to important discourse, both in the scientific community and in the media, about how dual use research of concern is conducted and how its results are communicated to scientists and the public. Testimony before the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. April 26, 2012.
• The Role of NIH-Supported Research in the Response to 2009 H1N1 Influenza (PDF)—On Oct. 24, 2009, the 2009 H1N1 flu pandemic was declared to be a National Emergency. In response to the pandemic, NIAID and other agencies strengthened research efforts to support the development of countermeasures for all influenza subtypes, including H1N1. Testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies. Nov. 4, 2009.
• The Role of NIH-Supported Research in the Response to 2009 H1N1 Influenza (PDF)—In response to the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic, NIAID intensified the implementation of the research agenda underpinning the development of countermeasures for all influenza subtypes, including H1N1. Testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. Sept. 29, 2009.
• The Role of NIH-Supported Research in the Response to 2009 H1N1 Influenza (PDF)—When the 2009 H1N1 pandemic broke out in spring 2009, NIAID and other agencies quickly sequenced and analyzed the virus and began to mount a research response. Testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs, Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health. May 6, 2009.
• Pandemic Influenza: The Road to Preparedness (PDF)—In early 2007, when H5N1 avian influenza was an immediate threat, NIAID was conducting and supporting research to improve responses to seasonal and pandemic flu. Testimony before the U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies. Jan. 24, 2007.
• Pandemic Influenza: The Road to Preparedness (PDF)—In spring 2006, H5N1 avian influenza was primarily an animal pathogen but was emerging as a threat. NIAID collaborated with other agencies and the private sector to develop vaccines and antiviral drugs to counter the threat of pandemic flu. Testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee on Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs. March 2, 2006.
• Additional congressional testimony by Dr. Fauci