"On the surface, it might seem like we had a really mild flu season. As 2015 came to a close and most were making plans for the New Year, more than 13,000 people were tested for seasonal influenza A in a single week. Of those, 157 were positive, and one additional novel A infection was confirmed, reflecting an unusually low level of human influenza activity across the nation so far this season.
However, animals haven’t been quite so lucky. Last year saw a number of influenza A outbreaks in several different species, including horses, dogs, birds and pigs.
Outbreaks that start in an animal population might not stay there. One Health, the concept that animal, human and environmental health are connected, can help us work more effectively with partners across different disciplines, such as doctors, veterinarians, ecologists, and public health experts, to identify and address emerging threats to health that start in animal populations.
Global ecologic research has confirmed that influenza A viruses are especially likely to make the jump from animal to human hosts. Influenza A viruses are able to mutate easily causing large-scale or even global outbreaks. They are responsible for all six historical pandemics and the only flu strain with the capability to present such a threat in the future."
