Clinical Infectious Diseases
15 December 2010  Volume 51, Number 12
http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/toc/cid/current

Editorial Commentary: How Did the 2008–2009 Seasonal Influenza Vaccine Affect the Pandemic?
W. Paul Glezen
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Pandemic Influenza’s 500th Anniversary
David M. Morens, Jeffery K. Taubenberger, Gregory K. Folkers, and Anthony S. Fauci
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland

Abstract
It is impossible to know with certainty the first time that an influenza virus infected humans or when the first influenza pandemic occurred. However, many historians agree that the year 1510 a.d.—500 years ago—marks the first recognition of pandemic influenza. On this significant anniversary it is timely to ask: what were the circumstances surrounding the emergence of the 1510 pandemic, and what have we learned about this important disease over the subsequent five centuries? We conclude that in recent decades significant progress has been made in diagnosis, prevention, control, and treatment of influenza. It seems likely that, in the foreseeable future, we may be able to greatly reduce the burden of influenza pandemics with improved vaccines and other scientific and public health approaches.