Scientists of this project focused on the widely circulating H1N1 swine influenza viruses, H5N1 and H7N9 avian influenza viruses in nature, and evaluated and revealed their capacity to cross animal-human host barrier and to transmit from human to human. A series of findings of this project provided key insights into the pandemic potential of different influenza viruses and important information for animal influenza control and human influenza pandemic preparedness. Importantly, this project has provided important information for the successful control of H7N9 influenza from animal source in China.

Human infection with H7N9 viruses before and after application of the vaccine in poultry. The red arrow indicates when H5/H7 vaccine administration to poultry was initiated in China