IntroductionUrban transmission patterns of influenza viruses are complex and poorly understood, and multiple factors may play a critical role in modifying transmission. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) allows the description of patient-to-patient transmissions at highest resolution. The aim of this study is to explore urban transmission patterns of influenza viruses in high detail by combining geographical, epidemiological and immunological data with WGS data.Methods and analysisThe study is performed at the University Hospital Basel, University Children’s Hospital Basel and a network of paediatricians and family doctors in the Canton of Basel-City, Switzerland. The retrospective study part includes an analysis of PCR-confirmed influenza cases from 2013 to 2018. The prospective study parts include (1) a household survey regarding influenza-like illness (ILI) and vaccination against influenza during the 2015/2016 season; (2) an analysis of influenza viruses collected during the 2016/2017 season using WGS—viral genomic sequences are compared with determine genetic relatedness and transmissions; and (3) measurement of influenza-specific antibody titres against all vaccinated and circulated strains during the 2016/2017 season from healthy individuals, allowing to monitor herd immunity across urban quarters. Survey data and PCR-confirmed cases are linked to data from the Statistics Office of the Canton Basel-City and visualised using geo-information system mapping. WGS data will be analysed in the context of patient epidemiological data using phylodynamic analyses, and the obtained herd immunity for each quarter. Profound knowledge on the key geographical, epidemiological and immunological factors influencing urban influenza transmission will help to develop effective counter measurements.Ethics and disseminationThe study is registered and approved by the regional ethics committee as an observational study (EKNZ project ID 2015–363 and 2016–01735). It is planned to present the results at conferences and publish the data in scientific journals.Trial registration numberNCT03010007.

In February 2021, an outbreak of Ebola virus disease (EVD) was declared in the N'Zérékoré prefecture, located in the southeastern area of Guinea known as "Forest Guinea" [1]. This region is where the 2013 to 2016 West African epidemic-the largest Ebola epidemic to datestarted. In the aftermath, Forest Guinea gained the status of a high-risk region for EVD and other viral haemorrhagic fevers [2]. Consequently, outbreak surveillance and preparedness planning have focused on preparing for a recurrence, such as the 2021 resurgence of Ebola.Surveillance efforts aim for rapid containment through early detection, specific treatments, and an efficient vaccine. In fact, efforts deployed in the region appear to have detected the current resurgence within a time frame of somewhat less than 1 month. Local communities view the current response through the lens of the earlier outbreak and the preparedness efforts that followed. The response to the 2013 to 2016 epidemic in Forest Guinea was characterised by deep mistrust and violence. In its aftermath, preparedness efforts have been met with scepticism in the population, including healthcare workers, with regard to the ability of the public health system being able to manage future outbreaks effectively. Epidemic experiences and outbreak preparedness in Forest GuineaThe authors MR and ER researched post-Ebola outbreak preparedness in Forest Guinea while living there from 2017 to 2019.Forest Guineans told them of their worries that a new outbreak may again take a heavy toll. The case fatality rate of the 2013 to 2016 EVD outbreak was reportedly 67% for Guinea [3]. Currently, the population is even more concerned with the impact on their livelihoods, already strained by the economic effect of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (CAU : PleasenotethatCOVID À 19has OVID-19) pandemic. Furthermore, Forest Guineans remember how during the last Ebola epidemic, their "culture"-food habits and burial customs-was blamed as a potential driver of the outbreak, and heavy-handed measures repressed dissenting views. The ill were isolated inside Ebola treatment centres that resembled internment camps for political opponents. Many were buried in the absence of relatives, anonymously, and in plastic bags [4]. Outbursts of violence made victims among both the response personnel and involved populations. In October 2014, senior officials were murdered during a sensitisation event in Womey, a village north of N'Zérékoré, after which the military retaliated against the inhabitants [5].

Her research follows efforts at viral forecasting and communicating on the risk of human-animal disease transmission in post-Ebola Guinea. She is interested in the biosecuritization of multispecies relations, epistemological entanglements around the notion of zoonosis and the making of local futures through pandemic management. Her email is

Resumo: A presente resenha objetiva apresentar a obra intitulada como "Estado federativo e políticas sociais: determinantes da descentralização" de Marta Arretche. Arretche lança mão de pesquisa histórica e empírica para a consecução de sua obra, o que leva a uma análise sobre as políticas públicas e políticas institucionais do Brasil. Marta também trata do processo de descentralização do Sistema de Proteção Social Brasileiro que se desenvolveu a partir da redemocratização do país e teve as suas bases garantidas pela Constituição da República Federativa do Brasil de 1988, buscando verificar a extensão desse processo de descentralização das políticas sociais. Trata-se de um livro rico em detalhes e completo em seus objetivos, notadamente no que tange ao estudo do federalismo e políticas públicas.