The second paper, a literature review, examines the factors which may contribute to the prevalence and severity of influenza infection among Indigenous peoples and communities. Understanding why Indigenous people are vulnerable to severe outcomes from large scale outbreaks of influenza like the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic is important not only for informing pandemic planning for future outbreaks, but also for developing policies and programs to address deeply rooted socio-economic, political and health services inequities.