The Epidemiology of Influenza

While analysing the latest data on the epidemiology of influenza, the focus here is on the social aspects of influenza epidemics and their impact on the population’s health as a whole (influenza morbidity, post-influenza complications, additional somatic morbidity and mortality) as well as on the related economic losses. Based on the latest advances in general epidemiology, this study substantiates the modern theory of the epidemic process during influenza outbreaks, analyses the peculiarities of the specific epidemiology of influenza, including the infection’s transmission mechanism, the distinctive immunity of seperate populations, and pathogen variability in determining the epidemiological process. Special emphasis is placed on the specifics of recent influenza epidemics; trends in their changes are described, and forecasts are made for the future.