Johns Hopkins CEIRS (JHCEIRS) is developing improved methods to rapidly identify circulating influenza strains during the flu season. To do so, human influenza virus strains in the United States and Taiwan are being tracked as part of an effort to build a database of influenza cases in real time from hospitals and other health care facilities. Such surveillance and tracking in a centralized database could aid in the development of influenza vaccines that better match the circulating seasonal strains. In addition, researchers are analyzing the impact of influenza virus infection on human respiratory epithelial cells to better understand how to control and treat influenza infections.