| dc.description.abstract | Seasonal in
uenza is an easily transmittable disease which causes up to 500,000 deaths annually.
There are three types of seasonal in
uenza, of which in
uenza A is the most common. The best
protection against an in
uenza infection is vaccination. Due to the fast evolution of in
uenza,
vaccines can become non-functional and therefore have to be updated regularly. Understanding the
global circulation of seasonal in
uenza helps deciding which strains should be included in the vaccine.
In contrast, for novel in
uenza strains that cause an in
uenza pandemic a vaccine will not always be
immediately available. Other strategies are necessary to buy time for the development of a vaccine.
For both seasonal and pandemic in
uenza, mathematical models are useful tools to simulate their
global dynamics and methods to prevent their spreading. This thesis discusses the global dynamics
of seasonal and pandemic in
uenza, obtained from experimental data and mathematical modeling,
and the way in which this information can be used to reduce in
uenza infections. | |
