Prospective Analysis of Seasonal Influenza - Viral Transmission and Evolution in the City of Basel, Switzerland

Influenza associated illness has a global annual impact with high morbidity and mortality. Transmission mechanisms and rates are under-investigated and overall poorly understood. This project aims to use epidemiological tools to understand the transmission and evolution of influenza viruses at an individual and population level within a small-scale city (Basel) through a combination of experimental, clinical and mathematical advances. The investigators aim to quantitatively characterize the viral transmission using novel molecular-epidemiological tools based on whole genome sequencing.