UK study breaks flu migration puzzle

This research […] shows the value of supporting exceptionally creative approaches to major challenges in biomedical and behavioural research.

Elias A Zerhouni

Director

US national institutes of health

Scientists at the University of Cambridge, working with researchers from World Health Organisation (WHO) Global Influenza Surveillance Network, analysed 13,000 samples of the influenza A virus to trace how the disease is spread across the globe.

They discovered that flu viruses migrate from the 'East and Southeast Asian circulation network', to Europe and North America six to nine months later and arrive in South America several months after.

Derek Smith, author of the study from the University of Cambridge, said it will allow medical authorities to identify potential flu epidemics earlier and provide the most effective vaccine available.

Elias A Zerhouni, director of the US national institutes of health, praised the study: "This research […] shows the value of supporting exceptionally creative approaches to major challenges in biomedical and behavioural research.

According to the NHS, flu usually affects the UK in the winter months, with between 50 and 200 people out of every 100,000 visiting their GP with the illness.