Influenza: Progress since 2009

"Summary of Progress since 2009

10 years ago, an influenza (flu) virus emerged that had never been seen before in humans. This novel H1N1 flu virus was first detected in April of 2009 in the United States, and spread quickly around the world. On June 11^th, 2009, the World Health Organization declared the start of the first flu pandemic in 40 years. CDC estimates that between 151,700 and 575,400 people died worldwide from the 2009 H1N1 virus infection during the first year the virus circulated. That H1N1 virus has continued to circulate worldwide annually since it emerged in 2009.

The 10-year commemoration of the 2009 H1N1 flu pandemic is an opportunity to reflect on that event in history as well as to acknowledge the importance of ongoing efforts to improve domestic and global capacity to detect and respond to novel flu viruses. Since 2009, substantial advances have been made in influenza science and preparedness. Here’s a summary of progress made in the last 10 years:

Monitoring and Detection

• CDC implemented a standardized sampling strategy for flu across public health and clinical laboratories that is nationally representative and that ensures efficiency and data confidence. This means that that a new flu virus with pandemic potential can be detected more easily and rapidly.
• All flu virus samples (about 6,000 to 8,000 samples) submitted to CDC now undergo full genetic sequencing as a first step. This provides a complete picture of the many different flu viruses that are circulating in people, enables faster outbreak response, and greatly expands the global flu genetic database.
• CDC partners with three state laboratories that now act as regional reference centers doing genetic sequencing using CDC’s standard testing practices. Data from these three National Influenza Reference Centers (NIRCs) are then uploaded to a CDC-supported “cloud” computing platform, making it instantly accessible to authorized CDC scientists. The creation of these regional hubs has expanded capacity, improved continuity of operations, and accelerated overall response time.
• CDC-developed Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction testing (rRT-PCR) has become the gold standard in flu virus testing among public health labs, resulting in data that are more reliable and available more quickly.  CDC makes these test kits available to qualified laboratories through the web-based International Reagent Repository, an online service that supports global surveillance for flu and which can rapidly surge to support demand for testing during a pandemic.
• A systematic assessment of the performance of Rapid Influenza Diagnostic Tests (RIDTs) led to improvements in the use and development of rapid flu virus tests.  Working with FDA, CDC supports annual testing of all commercial flu tests to assure that they continue to meet new testing standards.
• Testing for potential flu virus resistance to antiviral drugs, which used to happen only at CDC, has expanded to 19 other laboratories. This expansion increases capacity for testing and accelerates response time.  Additionally, CDC is constantly evaluating new flu viruses to determine if they are susceptible to commercially-available and experimental antiviral drugs..."
  Influenza