Plenary Lecture 2

Abstract

Every year, influenza epidemics occur, causing increased morbidity and mortality, particularly in vulnerable populations, such as the very young and very old. In addition, worldwide epidemics, such has the 1918 pandemic, occasionally occur. Consequently, influenza has an enormous impact on the global economy. By contrast, Ebola virus has only been recognized since 1976, and, until recently, outbreaks of this virus had caused relatively few deaths because they occurred in rural, isolated areas. However, the recent outbreak in West Africa occurred over a large, densely populated urban area and changed our understanding of what constitutes an Ebola virus outbreak. I will discuss our recent research on these viruses. The 66th Annual Meeting of Japanese Association for Laboratory Animal Science