Diagnosing Influenza for Research

The impact of influenza on the global burden of illness and mortality has been recognised for centuries. In Dublin in 1837 Robert Graves attempted the first quantification of influenza-attributed mortality by counting new graves in the church cemetery following a severe influenza epidemic and comparing this number with the count from the previous year (Evans and Kaslow 1997: 474). Today a robust evidence base is essential to underpin clinical and public health policies to combat influenza.