How to understand influenza strain designations? What do the strain designations for flu mean? For example avian flu is classified as `H5N1`, what do the letters `H`, `N` and numbers `5`, `1` mean? Is it more than a simple string-identifier?

The sub-type is named for the broad classes of the hemagglutinin (HA) or neuraminidase (NA) surface proteins sticking through the viral envelope. There are 16 HA sub-types (designated H1 - H16) and 9 NA sub-types (designated N1 - N9). All of the possible combinations of these influenza A subtypes infect birds, but only those containing the H1, H2, H3, H5, H7 and H9 and the N1, N2 and N7 surface proteins infect humans, and of these, so far, only H1, H2, H3 and N1 and N2 do so to any extent.

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