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With the lifting of border restrictions and quarantine regulations, Australians can anticipate the reintroduction of influenza, according to the authors of an editorial published by the .

Improving collaboration between animal and human public health sectors was crucial to detecting and protecting against influenza in 2022, wrote Professor Kanta Subbarao, Director of the 鈥檚 Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza at the in Melbourne.

鈥淲hile our primary focus is on seasonal influenza, we must also remain vigilant about zoonotic and pandemic influenza viruses,鈥� she wrote.

鈥淎lthough seasonal influenza viruses were in abeyance in 2020鈥�2021, there was widespread influenza virus activity in animals globally and within our own region.

鈥淗ighly pathogenic avian influenza A(H7N7) and low pathogenicity avian influenza A(H7N6) and A(H5N2) viruses were reported in Victoria, and swine influenza viruses have been detected in several states.

鈥淭he reason for public health concern is that novel (eg, animal) influenza viruses to which the human population lacks immunity could spread to cause a global pandemic if they cross the species barrier to cause human infections and spread efficiently from person to person.

鈥淒oes that sound familiar? We have learnt from COVID-19 that we ignore the animal鈥揾uman interface at our own peril.鈥�

Professor Subbarao recommended four actions:

• Establish surveillance at the animal鈥揾uman interface, because focusing on viruses that can cross the species barrier is an excellent place to start.
• Invest in subtyping more influenza A viruses than we do (Box, B), because being unable to subtype as H1 or H3 may be the only indication that an animal virus has infected a human.
• Improve communications between animal and human public health sectors so that we can institute active surveillance in people involved in culling large numbers of infected animals.
• Work in public鈥損rivate partnerships to lower the barriers to surveillance at the animal鈥揾uman interface.
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鈥淪uch efforts will be beneficial beyond influenza: the COVID-19 pandemic and recent reports of a new genotype of Hendra virus in Australian flying foxes are excellent reminders that other animal viruses that can cross species barriers bear watching,鈥� she concluded.

Image credit: 漏stock.adobe.com/au/1STunningART