Why devote an entire issue of the Annals to pandemic influenza when there are so many other pressing health needs around us? With a potential mortality comparable to tuberculosis, malaria or HIV/AIDS but occurring within a much shorter timeframe, pandemic influenza remains a real possibility. This article is available only...

The first human cases of H5N1 avian influenza (AI) virus infection were reported in Indonesia in July 2005. On 19 September 2005, the Ministry of Health of Indonesia confirmed an established outbreak of AI in humans in Indonesia. This article is available only as a PDF. Please click on “Download...

Outbreaks of avian influenza (AI) caused by the H5N1 subtype in several Asian countries have raised concern all over the world. AI is endemic in several parts of Asia. To date, there have been more than 200 human cases of AI virus infection, mainly as a result of poultry-to-human...

Influenza causes significant morbidity, mortality and economic impact in Singapore. According to a recent report, there are about 4.2 million cases of influenza-like illness (ILI) annually in Singapore, leading to 3.5 million doctor visits and 2.1 million days of documented medical leave. This article is available only as a PDF....

Tropical countries such as Singapore, although without well-defined influenza seasons, are also affected by influenza epidemics and pandemics. Twenty per cent of Singapore’s population is clinically infected by seasonal influenza annually, and excess mortality over the past decade was about 14.8 per 100,000 person-years – comparable to temperate United...