Will the next pandemic be caused by H5N1 influenza?


This seminar will be held in the Richard Doll Building lecture theatre

The world is currently experiencing a panzootic of H5N1 influenza. Wild birds have carried the virus across all continents and an unprecedented number of mammalian species have been infected including humans. What will it take for this virus to go pandemic, and does the introduction of the virus into dairy herds in USA bring that one step closer?
Wendy will discuss the current knowledge on host range barriers that protect us from more frequent zoonoses and pandemic from bird flu, and show how we can use this scientific knowledge to risk assess the current situation.