Interventions in live poultry markets for the control of avian influenza: A systematic review

Offeddu, Vittoria; Cowling, Benjamin J.; Peiris, J.S. Malik

Human influenza viruses cause seasonal influenza, a globally widespread respiratory illness giving rise to~3-5 million cases of severe illness every year [1] . Influenza viruses can also be found in other mammals and birds, and the greatest diversity of influenza viruses occurs in aquatic birds [2] . Most strains of avian influenza viruses (AIVs) do not pose a risk to human health. Some strains however, e.g. subtypes H7N9 [3] and H5N1 [4] , have acquired the ability to cross the speciesbarrier and infect humans who come into close contact with infected birds or contaminated environments [5] . Occasionally, animal influenza viruses cause global pandemics in humans, as happened three times in the 20th century and most recently in 2009 [6, 7] . Surveillance of avian influenza viruses is important to identify new strains that may pose a pandemic threat [8] .