Originally called the Multinational Influenza Seasonal Mortality Study, MISMS was initiated in 2001 to analyze national and global mortality patterns associated with influenza virus circulation. The focus of MISMS has since expanded to include evaluating the interaction between the epidemiology, ecology, and evolutionary dynamics of influenza, including natural selection, reassortment, migration, and antigenic change.

1. To analyze the transmission patterns of influenza viruses, quantify time trends and geographical variations in age-specific disease burden, and evaluate control strategies.
2. To understand the interaction between the health impact and the antigenic, genomic, and evolutionary characteristics of influenza viruses in human, avian, and swine populations.