| 170 Health - Influenza Resources |
| 1918 Influenza Pandemic (Spanish Flu): Large Differences in Mortality Between Urban and Isolated Rural Areas |
| In urban communities, less than 1 in 100 inhabitants died from Spanish flu in 1918, but in isolated communities up to 9 out of 10 died. An important explanation for the differences is due to different exposure to influenza in the decades before the Spanish flu came. Those living in urban communities probably had a higher degree of pre-existing immunity that protected against illness and death in 1918 than those living in very isolated rural areas. This is shown in a new study from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health. |
| April 27, 2011 |
| A |
| African-Americans with SLE more responsive to flu vaccine than patients of European descent |
| New research shows that African Americans with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) had a higher antibody response to influenza vaccination than European American patients. Treatment with prednisone, a history of hemolytic anemia, and increased disease flares were also linked to low antibody response in SLE patients who received the flu vaccine according to the study now available in Arthritis & Rheumatism, a peer-reviewed journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR). |
| May 19, 2011 |
| AI solves complex biology problem from scratch |
| An interdisciplinary, interuniversity group of scientists from Vanderbilt, Cornell, and CFD Research Corporation have created an artificial intelligence capable of solving complex scientific problems from scratch. The AI, called ABE (Automated Biology Explorer), “discovered” how glycolysis produces energy in a living cell by looking at a set of data and then squeezing it into a mathematical formula, just like a human biology researcher. |
| October 17, 2011 |
| Annual childhood flu vaccines may interfere with development of crossresistance |
| Vaccinating children annually against influenza virus interferes with their development of cross-reactive killer T cells to flu viruses generally. |
| November 17, 2011 |
| Any prime-boost mix of injected or spray flu vaccine shields toddlers |
| Broadest immune response from nasal spray vaccine, NIH-funded study finds |
| August 16, 2011 |
| As influenza season begins, researchers work to improve vaccine for seniors |
| As the influenza season gets underway, Health Center researchers study ways of making the flu vaccine more effective for older adults. |
| September 28, 2011 |
| B |
| BBC News Magazine examines antiviral drug research |
| BBC News Magazine examines an antiviral drug called Draco, developed by Todd Rider, a research scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, "which has proven successful against all 15 viruses to which it has been applied in lab trials with human tissue and mice," including "the common cold, H1N1 or swine flu, a polio virus, dengue fever, and the notorious and fatal Ebola virus." |
| December 23, 2011 |
| BD Receives FDA Clearance for Veritor Rapid Flu Detection System |
| BD, Franklin Lakes, NJ, received FDA clearance for their new Veritor System, a device for rapid detection of influenza A and B. The system runs a chromatographic immunoassay for direct detection of influenza A and B viral nucleoprotein antigens from nasal and nasopharyngeal swabs. |
| December 20, 2011 |
| Boosting the aged immune response to flu virus |
| As people age, their immune system becomes less robust. This makes them more susceptible to serious and frequently life-threatening infections with viruses that affect the respiratory tract such as influenza A virus (IAV). |
| November 21, 2011 |
| Bird Flu - Numbers |
| 2 more dead birds in HK test positive for H5N1 |
| Hong Kong authorities say two more dead birds have tested positive for a dangerous strain of bird flu, adding to health worries in the city. |
| January 6, 2012 |
| Bird Flu - A |
| A New Moratorium on Research Into Engineered Avian Flu: What It Means for Science |
| Is some research so dangerous it shouldn't be done at all? |
| January 24, 2012 |
| Ask Dr. Manny |
| As the media continues to track the spread of bird flu among chickens and birds in Asia and Europe, most of the emails I received this week concerned the threat posed by bird flu and how people can protect themselves from the disease. |
| Provides Information |
| At least 10 years to eradicate bird flu: UN health agency |
| It will take at least 10 years to eradicate the H5N1 bird flu virus, which has killed scores of humans, from poultry in the six countries where it is endemic, a UN agency said Thursday. |
| April 21, 2011 |
| Bird Flu - B |
| Balancing scientific freedom and national security |
| The U.S. government's request that the journals Science and Nature withhold scientific information related to the genetically modified H5N1 virus because of biosecurity concerns does not violate the First Amendment, say two Georgetown University professors. They caution, however, that a fair, transparent process undertaken by research organizations is preferable to governmental constraints on disseminating scientific information. |
| January 19, 2012 |
| Bird flu batters South African ostrich farms |
| Once filled with hundreds of ostriches, the fields of the Klein Karoo are strangely empty. |
| September 20, 2011 |
| Bird flu detected in Victoria spurs action |
| A bird flu outbreak has been detected at two Victorian farms and at least 10,000 ducks will have to be destroyed. The two farms are about 25km apart in an area north of Melbourne, but officials are keeping the exact location private. |
| January 31, 2012 |
| Bird flu fear as mutant strain hits China and Vietnam |
| Avian flu shows signs of a resurgence, while a mutant strain - able to sidestep vaccines - could be spreading in Asia, the United Nations has warned. |
| August 29, 2011 |
| Bird flu investigator says continuation of research remains 'urgent' despite moratorium |
| Research into transmissible bird flu strains remains "urgent" despite flu investigators' recent declaration of a "60-day moratorium on avian flu transmission because of the current controversy," Yoshihiro Kawaoka of Tokyo University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, "a lead researcher on one of two recent studies showing how H5N1 can be transmitted through airborne droplets" among ferrets, writes in a commentary published Wednesday in the journal Nature, Reuters reports. In December, the U.S. National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity "asked two leading journals, Nature and Science, to withhold details of both studies for fear it could be used by bioterrorists," the news agency notes. |
| January 27, 2012 |
| Bird flu outbreak hits Dutch chicken farm |
| Dutch authorities were slaughtering thousands of chickens at a poultry farm in central Netherlands after an outbreak of a bird flu variety there, an agriculture ministry spokesman said. |
| June 24, 2011 |
| Bird flu researchers agree to 60-day halt |
| International scientists on Friday agreed to a temporary two-month halt to controversial research on a bird flu virus that may be easily passed among humans, citing global health concerns. |
| January 20, 2012 |
| Bird Flu - C |
| China reports second bird flu death in a month |
| China on Sunday reported its second bird flu fatality in a month following deaths last week in Vietnam and Cambodia. |
| January 22, 2012 |
| Chinese man dies of bird flu |
| A 39 year old Chinese bus driver tested positive for the H5N1 bird flu virus and died Saturday in a city bordering Hong Kong. According to health officials this is the country’s first reported case of the disease in humans in 18 months. |
| January 2, 2012 |
| Controversial 'bird flu' edits move ahead |
| Top US scientists on Wednesday defended their bid to stop details of a mutant bird flu virus from being published and called for global cooperation to ward off an uncontrollable pandemic. |
| December 22, 2011 |
| Controversial research on bird flu |
| In a top-security lab in the Netherlands, scientists guard specimens of a super-killer influenza that slays half of those it infects and spreads easily from victim to victim. |
| December 28, 2011 |
| Bird Flu - F |
| First molecular evidence links live poultry markets to human H5N1 infection in China |
| Sequences of H5N1 virus from live bird markets in China matched sequences from patients who had recently visited the live bird markets. Live poultry markets have long been suspected of providing the reservoir of H5N1 responsible for human cases, but this is the first molecular evidence linking H5N1 in humans to these markets. |
| December 16, 2011 |
| Flu transmission work is urgent: Nature Comment |
| The author of an upcoming Nature paper about H5N1 argues in a Nature Comment article today that research into deadly pathogenic viruses must continue if pandemics are to be prevented. Yoshihiro Kawaoka suggests, after reviewing many factors, that pursuing studies of highly pathogenic viruses must be done with urgency. |
| January 25, 2012 |
| Bird Flu - H |
| H5N1 virus targets pulmonary endothelial cells |
| The H5N1 virus has killed roughly 60 percent of humans infected, a mortality rate which is orders of magnitude higher than that of seasonal influenza virus. Many victims of the former fall heir to acute respiratory distress syndrome—the inability to breathe. Now researchers show that the highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 virus, but not seasonal influenza viruses, can target the cells of human lung tissue, where they replicate fast and efficiently, and induce inflammation, which correlates with H5N1-induced acute respiratory distress syndrome that is observed in humans. |
| January 20, 2012 |
| Hong Kong culls chickens to battle bird flu |
| Hong Kong culled 17,000 chickens Wednesday and suspended live poultry imports for 21 days after three birds tested positive for the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu virus. |
| December 21, 2011 |
| Hong Kong raises bird flu alert level, bans imports |
| Hong Kong raised its bird flu alert level to "serious" on Tuesday and announced it is to cull 17,000 chickens after three birds tested positive for the deadly H5N1 strain of the virus. |
| December 20, 2011 |
| Hong Kong school closed in bird flu scare |
| A Hong Kong school was closed on Friday after a dead bird found in the southern Chinese city was tested positive for the deadly H5 strain of the bird flu virus. |
| December 16, 2011 |
| Bird Flu - I |
| Indonesia reports second bird flu death this year |
| Indonesia on Friday reported its second human death from bird flu this year, with the death of a five-year-old girl who recently lost her relative to the deadly virus. |
| January 20, 2012 |
| Bird Flu - M |
| Man dies from bird flu in Indonesia: officials |
| A 24-year-old Indonesian man infected with bird flu died in the capital Jakarta, the health ministry said Tuesday, in the country's third fatal case in three months. |
| January 10, 2012 |
| Migratory Birds, Domestic Poultry and Avian Influenza |
| The persistence and recurrence of H5N1 avian influenza in endemic regions can largely be blamed on movement and infection by migratory birds. Trade in poultry, poultry products and caged birds, and movement of wild birds also account for H5N1 prevalence in these areas. Several recent outbreaks of avian influenza have suggested strong evidence of migratory birds playing a role in transmitting the virus over long distances. |
| April 5, 2011 |
| Bird Flu - N |
| National Biosecurity Board to review state of bird flu research |
| Federal officials have asked the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity "to review the state of the science looking at human transmission of deadly bird flu, says panel chief Paul Keim of Northern Arizona University," USA Today reports. |
| January 12, 2012 |
| No sign Vietnam mutant bird flu greater threat: UN |
| A mutant strain of the deadly bird flu H5N1 virus detected in Vietnam does not appear to pose an increased risk to human health, the United Nations said on Monday. |
| September 6, 2011 |
| NSABB and H5N1 redactions: Biosecurity runs up against scientific endeavor |
| In response to recent actions of the U.S. National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB), which recommended that two scientific journals withhold crucial details in upcoming reports about experiments with a novel strain of the bird flu virus, H5N1, the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) will publish a special series of commentaries by prominent scientists, including the acting chair of the NSABB, weighing in on whether the recommendations were necessary and what role biosecurity considerations should play in the dissemination of research findings. |
| January 31, 2012 |
| Bird Flu - P |
| Pandemic Flu |
| The official U.S. government Web site for information on pandemic flu and avian influenza. |
| Provides a Service |
| Press Statement on the NSABB Review of H5N1 Research |
| The U.S. government remains concerned about the threat of influenza, for the risks it poses seasonally, as well as its potential to cause a pandemic. Our domestic and global influenza surveillance efforts have become increasingly capable, along with expanded vaccine manufacturing capacity and assistance to other countries in their efforts to detect and respond to a pandemic. |
| December 20, 2011 |
| Priming with DNA vaccine makes avian flu vaccine work better |
| The immune response to an H5N1 avian influenza vaccine was greatly enhanced in healthy adults if they were first primed with a DNA vaccine expressing a gene for a key H5N1 protein, researchers say. Their report describes results from two clinical studies conducted by researchers from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health. |
| October 03, 2011 |
| Bird Flu - S |
| Should a New Recipe for Engineered Bird Flu, Potent Enough to Kill Millions, Be Published? |
| Inside a Dutch medical facility is a potentially devastating weapon that could kill millions: A genetically modified version of the H5N1 bird flu, engineered to be easily transmitted among ferrets. And the researchers who figured out how to do it would like to share their work with the world. |
| November 29, 2011 |
| Study: 'Google Flu Trends' a powerful early warning system for emergency departments |
| Monitoring Internet search traffic about influenza may prove to be a better way for hospital emergency rooms to prepare for a surge in sick patients compared to waiting for outdated government flu case reports. A report on the value of the Internet search tool for emergency departments. |
| January 9, 2012 |
| Bird Flu - U |
| U.N. agency warns of possible bird flu resurgence |
| The United Nations warned of a possible major resurgence of bird flu and said a mutant strain of the H5N1 virus was spreading in Asia and elsewhere. |
| August 29, 2011 |
| U.S. Science Advisory Board asks Science, Nature to omit data from bird flu studies amid security concerns |
| The U.S. National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity on "Tuesday asked two scientific journals to leave out data from research studies on a lab-made version of bird flu that could spread more easily to humans, fearing it could be used as a potential weapon." |
| December 22, 2011 |
| US panel defends call to censor bird flu studies |
| Top official calls pathogen 'one of the greatest known threats to humans' |
| January 31, 2012 |
| Bird Flu - V |
| Vietnam reports 1st bird flu death in 2 years |
| Vietnam has recorded its first human bird flu death in nearly two years, and although the victim worked at a duck farm the H5N1 virus has yet to be found in poultry there, officials said Thursday. |
| January 19, 2012 |
| Voluntary action by two research teams to halt work on H5N1 lauded |
| A Georgetown University Medical Center professor says the voluntary action taken by two research teams to temporarily halt work involving the highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 is "laudable." |
| January 24, 2012 |
| C |
| CHEO Research Institute develops secure protocol for data disclosure |
| It is important for health care providers to report health issues, such as influenza outbreaks, to public health authorities. But there is evidence of a reluctance to share patient data for public health purposes due to concerns for both patient privacy and provider confidentiality. Dr. Khaled El-Emam and his research team at the CHEO Research Institute have developed a secure protocol and system that would solve this problem. |
| May 17, 2011 |
| Compound Kills Highly Contagious Flu Strain by Activating Antiviral Protein |
| A compound tested by UT Southwestern Medical Center investigators destroys several viruses, including the deadly Spanish flu that killed an estimated 30 million people in the worldwide pandemic of 1918. |
| September 26, 2011 |
| Computationally designed antiviral proteins may fight against influenza |
| One goal of antiviral protein design is to block molecular mechanisms involved in cell invasion and virus reproduction |
| May 16, 2011 |
| Continuing uncertainties surround anti-influenza drug |
| Incomplete availability of data has hampered a thorough assessment of the evidence for using the anti-influenza drug oseltamivir, a Cochrane Review has found. However, after piecing together information from over 16,000 pages of clinical trial data and documents used in the process of licensing oseltamivir (Tamiflu) by national authorities, a team of researchers has raised critical questions about how well the drug works and about its reported safety profile. |
| January 18, 2012 |
| D |
| Discovery Explains Why Influenza B Virus Exclusively Infects Humans: Opens Door for New Drugs |
| Researchers at Rutgers University and the University of Texas at Austin have reported a discovery that could help scientists develop drugs to fight seasonal influenza epidemics caused by the common influenza B strain. |
| August 25, 2011 |
| Discovery of Natural Antibody Brings a Universal Flu Vaccine a Step Closer |
| Annually changing flu vaccines with their hit-and-miss effectiveness may soon give way to a single, near-universal flu vaccine, according to a new report from scientists at The Scripps Research Institute and the Dutch biopharmaceutical company Crucell. They describe an antibody that, in animal tests, can prevent or cure infections with a broad variety of influenza viruses, including seasonal and potentially pandemic strains. |
| July 6, 2011 |
| Does the La Nina weather pattern lead to flu pandemics? |
| Worldwide pandemics of influenza caused widespread death and illness in 1918, 1957, 1968 and 2009. A new study examining weather patterns around the time of these pandemics finds that each of them was preceded by La Niña conditions in the equatorial Pacific. |
| January 16, 2012 |
| E |
| Earliest known evidence of 1918 influenza pandemic found |
| Examination of lung tissue and other autopsy material from 68 American soldiers who died of respiratory infections in 1918 has revealed that the influenza virus that eventually killed 50 million people worldwide was circulating in the United States at least four months before the 1918 influenza reached pandemic levels that fall. |
| September 19, 2011 |
| Effects of Tamiflu still uncertain, warn experts, as Roche continues to withhold key trial data |
| Two years after pharmaceutical giant Roche promised the BMJ it would release key Tamiflu trial data for independent scrutiny, the safety and effectiveness of this anti-influenza drug remains uncertain, warn experts today. |
| January 18, 2012 |
| European Commission Framework 7 programme awards €3 million grant to Enigma Diagnostics |
| In October 2007, Enigma Diagnostics (Porton Down, UK & San Diego, USA) announced the award of a euro 3 Million grant by the European Commission Framework 7 programme. This EU Commission award was won in a competitive process and the grant was to support development of a rapid, fully automated molecular diagnostic system for Seasonal Influenza (circulating strains of Influenza types A & B) to be based on Enigma's concept ML (mini-laboratory) instrument system. The RANGER project started on 1st of July 2008 with a consortium of members. |
| July 18, 2011 |
| Expanding Flu Vaccinations to Older Children Reduces Emergency Visits for Flu-Like Illnesses by 34 Percent, Study Suggests |
| Vaccinating children aged two to four years against seasonal influenza resulted in a 34% decline in flu-like illnesses, found a study in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). Preschool-aged children have influenza infection rates of 25%-43%, higher than other age groups. Vaccinating healthy children can help prevent spread of infection in the home and the community. |
| September 19, 2011 |
| Experimental sublingual vaccine shows promise against influenza infection |
| Vaccine candidate shown to protect animals when administered under the tongue |
| December 9, 2011 |
| F |
| FDA clears Alere Influenza A&B Test |
| Alere Inc., a global leader in enabling individuals to take charge of their health at home through the merger of rapid diagnostics and health management, received confirmation that The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has cleared the Alere™ Influenza A&B Test for the U.S. market, categorizing it as CLIA-waived. |
| January 23, 2012 |
| FDA clears IQuum's Liat influenza A/B assay, analyzer |
| IQuum, Inc. announced today that it has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 510(k) clearance to market the Liat™ Influenza A/B Assay and the Liat™ Analyzer. This molecular diagnostic test is an automated sample-to-result multiplex real-time RT-PCR assay for the detection and discrimination of influenza A and influenza B in approximately 20 minutes. The test is intended for use in laboratories certified under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) to perform "moderate complexity" tests, enabling its use in hospital labs or other near-patient settings. |
| August 23, 2011 |
| FDA files MedImmune's sBLA for quadrivalent intranasal nasal influenza vaccine, FluMist |
| MedImmune has received confirmation from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) that the Agency has filed the Company's supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) for a quadrivalent (four-strain) version of FluMist® (Influenza Vaccine Live, Intranasal). The company submitted the sBLA early in the second quarter of this year. |
| July 18, 2011 |
| FDA grants Cepheid marketing clearance for Xpert Flu diagnostic test |
| Cepheid today announced it has received clearance from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) to market Xpert® Flu. The diagnostic test, which runs on Cepheid's GeneXpert® System, simultaneously detects and differentiates Influenza A, Influenza B, and the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus in about one hour. |
| April 26, 2011 |
| Fine-Tuning the Flu Vaccine for Broader Protection |
| An antibody that mimics features of the influenza virus's entry point into human cells could help researchers understand how to fine-tune the flu vaccine to protect against a broad range of virus strains. Such protection could potentially reduce the need to develop, produce, and distribute a new vaccine for each flu season. |
| August 8, 2011 |
| First comprehensive guide to hospital emergency preparedness exercise development |
| With the publication of the nation's first comprehensive, federally funded guide to hospital emergency preparedness exercise development, Dr. Nathaniel Hupert at Weill Cornell Medical College and his collaborators have provided a new toolset for strengthening hospitals' ability to protect communities nationwide against public health disasters, such as creating care centers during an influenza pandemic or treating casualties in the wake of a bioterrorism attack. |
| December 17, 2010 |
| Flu helps spread pneumonia |
| Bacteria that cause pneumonia and meningitis are only able to spread when individuals are infected with flu, says a scientist reporting at the Society for General Microbiology's Spring Conference in Harrogate. The work could have implications for the management of influenza pandemics and could help reduce incidence of pneumococcal infections in very young children, who are more susceptible to disease. |
| April 11, 2011 |
| Flu Shot Tip Sheet |
| Flu season is here. Get the flu shot facts with this timely tipsheet. |
| Provides Information |
| Flu strains migrate back and forth between different regions of the world |
| Influenza researchers have found that flu strains migrate back and forth between different regions of the world, evolving along the way. This is contrary to the common belief that flu strains from the tropics are the source of global seasonal epidemics. |
| November 17, 2011 |
| G |
| GAO reports on government response to H1N1 pandemic |
| GAO on Monday published two reports on the government's response to the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic. The first report examines lessons learned from the government's response that can be incorporated into future planning (6/27). The second report examines how production delays for the H1N1 vaccine "heightened interest in alternative technologies that could expand the supply or accelerate the availability of influenza vaccine," according to the report summary. |
| June 29, 2011 |
| Greater R&D funding needed to fight diseases affecting world's poor |
| Despite significant advancements in increasing distribution and development of vaccines against childhood killer diseases — including pneumococcal disease, rotavirus, and Haemophilus influenzae Type B — global efforts to reduce the burden of infection from neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) has greatly lagged, argues Sabin Vaccine Institute (Sabin) President Dr. Peter Hotez in an article for the June edition of Health Affairs. |
| June 21, 2011 |
| Green light for flu vaccine in transplant recipients |
| Getting vaccinated against the flu lowers kidney transplant recipients' risk of organ loss and death, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society Nephrology (CJASN). The results suggest that concerns about the safety of the influenza vaccine in transplant recipients are unwarranted. |
| April 28, 2011 |
| H |
| Health system achieves high flu vaccination rates by mandating masking |
| Geisinger Health System vaccinated more than 92% of all employees against influenza this season, with a modification of a mandatory program. On average, fewer than half of all healthcare workers receive flu vaccinations. |
| June 15, 2011 |
| How Flu Virus Spreads to College Community: Major Implications for Control |
| Many different strains of the H1N1 influenza virus were represented among 57 students at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) who were infected during the epidemic in the fall of 2009, according to a paper in the July Journal of Virology. The findings have major implications in the controversy over how best to reduce the virus' spread. |
| July 18, 2011 |
| How FluMist Elicits Protection |
| New research from the Trudeau Institute may help to explain why live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV), commonly known as FluMist, elicits protection. The research is published in this month's issue of Vaccine. The journal article is entitled "Live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) impacts innate and adaptive immune responses" and was authored by Trudeau Institute scientist Dr. Laura Haynes and her colleagues. |
| August 23, 2011 |
| How to stop the flu: Researchers identify proven strategies to prevent influenza from spreading |
| Between 1918 and 1920, an influenza epidemic swept across the globe, infecting more than a quarter of the world's population and killing 50 to 100 million people. |
| December 7, 2011 |
| Humabs discovers the first antibody to neutralize both group 1 and group 2 influenza A viruses |
| A paper published today in the scientific research journal Science, describes a novel, proprietary monoclonal antibody (FI6) discovered in a collaboration between Humabs BioMed SA, the Institute for Research in Biomedicine ("IRB") and the UK Medical Research Council (MRC). FI6 is the first neutralizing antibody that targets all 16 hemagglutinin subtypes of influenza A and represents an important development in the treatment of severe cases of flu, and in finding a universal flu vaccine. The paper also discusses Humabs' high throughput method of selecting rare antibodies from cultured plasma cells. |
| July 28, 2011 |
| Hybrid Leishmania Parasites On the Loose |
| What we anxiously fear in the influenza virus -- a cross between two strains, resulting in a new variant we have no resistance against -- has occurred in another pathogen, the Leishmania parasite. This was uncovered by researchers of the Institute of Tropical Medicine (ITG). The new hybrid species might not be more dangerous than their parents, but it's too early to know. Kenian scientist Samwel Odiwuor receives for his discovery a PhD at ITG and Antwerp University. |
| June 23, 2011 |
| I |
| Influenza Vaccination During Pregnancy Protects Newborns, Study Suggests |
| Infants born to mothers who received the influenza (flu) vaccine while pregnant are nearly 50 percent less likely to be hospitalized for the flu than infants born to mothers who did not receive the vaccine while pregnant, according to a new collaborative study by researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center and colleagues. |
| June 23, 2011 |
| L |
| Lipid blocks influenza infection |
| A natural lipid in the fluid lining the lungs inhibits influenza infections in both cell cultures and mouse models, according to researchers at National Jewish Health. These findings, combined with previous studies demonstrating effectiveness against respiratory syncytial virus, suggest that the molecule, known as POPG, may have broad antiviral activity. |
| November 8, 2011 |
| M |
| Mexican flu pandemic study supports social distancing |
| Eighteen-day periods of mandatory school closures and other social distancing measures were associated with a 29 to 37 percent reduction in influenza transmission rates in Mexico during the 2009 pandemic. The research was carried out by scientists at the Fogarty International Center at the National Institutes of Health and published in PLoS Medicine. |
| May 24, 2011 |
| Micro-Organisms Are 'Invisible' to the Immune System |
| That micro-organisms have a great capacity to vary their surface structure is well known. It is one of the reasons why it is so difficult to develop vaccines against HIV and malaria, and why new influenza vaccines have to be produced every year. But it seems that these micro-organisms are also able to completely avoid activating a strong immune response in the person attacked. |
| August 19, 2011 |
| Micro-organisms hide themselves from immune defences |
| That micro-organisms have a great capacity to vary their surface structure is well known. It is one of the reasons why it is so difficult to develop vaccines against HIV and malaria, and why new influenza vaccines have to be produced every year. But it seems that these micro-organisms are also able to completely avoid activating a strong immune response in the person attacked. |
| August 22, 2011 |
| MU scientist eyeing enzymes that could help fight flu |
| The influenza virus remains a worldwide threat to humans, causing an average of 36,000 deaths and 200,000 hospitalizations each year in the United States alone. As health care professionals prepare for another flu season, a University of Missouri scientist is studying how two enzymes could be used to stop the virus in its tracks. |
| November 17, 2011 |
| N |
| 'Natural experiment' documents the population benefit of vaccinating preschoolers against the flu |
| Recent policies calling for vaccinating preschool-aged children against the flu led to a 34 percent decline in influenza cases in this age group, according to researchers at Children's Hospital Boston and McGill University. The findings, which revealed smaller declines in other age groups as well, arose from a study that used real time surveillance data from pediatric emergency departments (EDs) in the United States and Canada to evaluate the relationship between national flu vaccination policies and rates of flu-like illness. |
| September 19, 2011 |
| NanoViricides Inc. Submits Pre-IND Briefing Document for its Anti-Influenza drug, FluCide, to the US FDA |
| NanoViricides, Inc. announced today that it has submitted a pre-IND briefing document to the US FDA. This submission provides the required information for the Company's highly effective anti-influenza drug candidate, FluCide™, in support of a pre-IND Meeting. The Company anticipates that the pre-IND Meeting would take place in March-April 2012. The actual meeting date will be assigned by the FDA. |
| January 31, 2012 |
| New approach to defeating flu shows promise |
| New research on mice has shown that pulmonary administration of granulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) significantly reduces flu symptoms and prevents death after a lethal dose influenza virus. While GM-SCF therapy for humans as a flu prophylaxis or treatment may be years away, the study results were striking: All of the mice treated with GM-SCF survived after being infected with the influenza virus, whereas untreated mice all died from the same infection. |
| April 22, 2011 |
| New drug could cure nearly any viral infection |
| Most bacterial infections can be treated with antibiotics such as penicillin, discovered decades ago. However, such drugs are useless against viral infections, including influenza, the common cold, and deadly hemorrhagic fevers such as Ebola. |
| August 10, 2011 |
| New material for air cleaner filters that captures flu viruses |
| With flu season just around the corner, scientists are reporting development of a new material for the fiber in face masks, air conditioning filters and air cleaning filters that captures influenza viruses before they can get into people's eyes, noses and mouths and cause infection. |
| November 2, 2011 |
| New Means of Overcoming Antiviral Resistance in Influenza |
| UC Irvine researchers have found a new approach to the creation of customized therapies for virulent flu strains that resist current antiviral drugs. |
| July 12, 2011 |
| New Research Suggests Wild Birds May Play a Role in the Spread of Bird Flu |
| Wild migratory birds may indeed play a role in the spread of bird flu, also known as highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1. |
| March 24, 2011 |
| New Understanding of Chronic Otitis Media May Inform Future Treatment |
| In most children with chronic otitis media, biofilms laden with Haemophilus influenzae cling to the adenoids, while among a similar population suffering from obstructive sleep apnea, that pathogen is usually absent, according to a paper in the April 2011 Journal of Clinical Microbiology. This has major implications for treatment of chronic otitis media. |
| May 16, 2011 |
| Newly Discovered Antibody Recognizes Many Strains of Flu Virus |
| Some vaccines are once-in-a-lifetime; others need a booster shot or two to maintain their potency. And then there's the flu vaccine, which only lasts a year. Strains of influenza virus change so much from year-to-year that new vaccines must be developed annually to target the strains of virus that are most likely to cause illness. But Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) scientists have now discovered a human antibody that recognizes many different flu strains. |
| August 8, 2011 |
| NIAID renews funding of PRIME to develop mathematical models to study influenza infection |
| Mount Sinai School of Medicine today announced that the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has renewed funding of the Program for Research on Immune Modeling and Experimentation (PRIME). This program seeks to develop easy-to-use, predictive mathematical models to better understand patterns of infection among individuals affected by the H1N1 and 1918 influenza viruses and other related viruses. |
| December 17, 2010 |
| NIH grantees rebut theory that seasonal flu strains originate in tropical regions |
| Influenza researchers have found that flu strains migrate back and forth between different regions of the world, evolving along the way. This is contrary to the common belief that flu strains from the tropics are the source of global seasonal epidemics. |
| November 16, 2011 |
| NanoViricides submits pre-IND Meeting Request for FluCide to FDA |
| NanoViricides, Inc. announced today that it has submitted a pre-IND Meeting Request to the US FDA. The Company has requested an initial meeting with the US FDA to review the Company's proposed strategy and plan for conducting safety/toxicology studies and human clinical trials required for approval of its anti-influenza clinical drug candidate, FluCide™. |
| December 5, 2011 |
| O |
| Obesity Limits Effectiveness of Flu Vaccines, Study Finds |
| People carrying extra pounds may need extra protection from influenza. |
| October 25, 2011 |
| Oral interferon may prevent and control avian influenza virus infection |
| Avian influenza virus is a threat to the commercial chicken industry and, with its recent rapid spread across China, has also shown the ability for transmission from chickens to humans and other mammals. In an article in Journal of Interferon & Cytokine Research, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., Chinese researchers report that oral chicken interferon-alpha may significantly reduce influenza virus levels when given either preventively or therapeutically. |
| July 28, 2011 |
| P |
| Patients with RA receive less protection from pandemic influenza with H1N1 vaccine |
| Individuals with rheumatoid arthritis taking disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs, showed significantly less protection from pandemic influenza after receiving the H1N1 vaccine compared to healthy individuals, according to data presented today at the EULAR 2011 Annual Congress. |
| May 26, 2011 |
| Pediatric flu vaccination: Understanding low acceptance rates could help increase coverage |
| A study of H1N1 and seasonal influenza vaccination in a sample of black and Hispanic children in Atlanta found a low rate of vaccine acceptance among parents and caregivers. Only 36 percent of parents and caregivers indicated they would immunize children against H1N1, and 22 percent indicated their children received the seasonal influenza vaccine in the previous three months. The majority of children in the sample (71 percent) were from households with less than $40,000 in annual income. |
| April 28, 2011 |
| Pivotal pediatric clinical study comparing Q/LAIV to FluMist meets primary endpoint |
| The pivotal pediatric clinical study compared Q/LAIV to two trivalent formulations of MedImmune's licensed seasonal influenza vaccine, FluMist® (Influenza Vaccine Live, Intranasal) and met its primary endpoint. |
| October 22, 2011 |
| Plasma-based treatment goes viral |
| Life-threatening viruses such as HIV, SARS, hepatitis and influenza, could soon be combatted in an unusual manner as researchers have demonstrated the effectiveness of plasma for inactivating and preventing the replication of adenoviruses. |
| December 5, 2011 |
| Popular flu medication's neurologic side effects in children studied |
| Oseltamivir is the weapon of choice for preventing influenza infection from taking hold, but like any other drug, it also has the potential for adverse effects. Children in particular are susceptible to neurological symptoms, including delirium and an increased tendency for self-injury. |
| September 9, 2011 |
| Positive final results from Medicago's H5N1 Avian Influenza VLP vaccine Phase II trial |
| Medicago Inc. a biotechnology company focused on developing highly effective and competitive vaccines based on proprietary manufacturing technologies and Virus-Like Particles (VLPs), today reported positive final results from a Phase II human clinical trial with its H5N1 Avian Influenza VLP vaccine candidate ("H5N1 vaccine"). The vaccine induced a solid immune response and was found to be safe and well tolerated. |
| June 30, 2011 |
| Post-infection treatment with NanoViricides FluCide reduces lung lesions caused by lethal influenza infection |
| NanoViricides, Inc. (the "Company") reports that post-infection treatment with its optimized FluCide™ drug candidates resulted in dramatic reduction in the number of lung lesions that are caused by a lethal influenza virus infection. These findings were seen in the most recent H1N1 influenza animal study. |
| April 5, 2011 |
| Promising results in mice on needle-free candidate universal vaccine against various flu viruses |
| Scientists from the International Vaccine Institute have discovered that an antigen common to most influenza viruses, and commonly referred to as matrix protein 2, when administered under the tongue could protect mice against experimental infection caused by various influenza viruses, including the highly pathogenic avian H5 virus and the pandemic H1 virus. |
| December 8, 2011 |
| R |
| Research provides unprecedented insight into fighting viral infections |
| Researchers at Rutgers and UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School have determined the structure of a protein that is the first line of defense in fighting viral infections including influenza, hepatitis C, West Nile, rabies, and measles. |
| September 29, 2011 |
| Researchers announce a discovery in how FluMist elicits protection |
| New research from the Trudeau Institute may help to explain why live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV), commonly known as FluMist, elicits protection. The research is published in this month's issue of Vaccine. The journal article is entitled "Live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) impacts innate and adaptive immune responses" and was authored by Trudeau Institute scientist Dr. Laura Haynes and her colleagues. |
| August 23, 2011 |
| Researchers propose new model to design better flu shots |
| The flu shot, typically the first line of defense against seasonal influenza, could better treat the U.S. population, thanks to University of Pittsburgh researchers. |
| December 22, 2011 |
| Researchers Study Spread of Influenza Using Mobile Phones |
| "Are you a super-spreader?" That's the catchphrase for a new study out of the University of Cambridge. However, if you answered "yes", you may want to stay home and cover your mouth, because the study was designed to track the spread of influenza using cellular phone technology. |
| April 25, 2011 |
| S |
| Scientists describe new protein's role in immune response to pathogens |
| The human immune system is a double-edged sword. While it is finely adapted to fighting potentially deadly viruses, such as the H1N1 influenza, the mechanisms it uses to fight pathogens can have negative effects such as inflammatory disorders or autoimmune diseases. |
| June 28, 2011 |
| Scientists Develop New Flu Diagnostic Method Using Gold Nanoparticles |
| University of Georgia research team comprising Ralph Tripp and Jeremy Driskell have developed a new diagnostic method to identify influenza in minutes at a very low cost by measuring the scattering pattern of laser light by gold nanoparticles coated with antibodies that attach to only certain flu viral strains. |
| August 5, 2011 |
| Searchers map the global spread of drug-resistant influenza |
| In the new movie "Contagion," fictional health experts scramble to get ahead of a flu-like pandemic as a drug-resistant virus quickly spreads, killing millions of people within days after they contract the illness. |
| September 14, 2011 |
| Secure Protocol for Medical Data Disclosure Developed |
| It is important for health care providers to report health issues, such as influenza outbreaks, to public health authorities. But there is evidence of a reluctance to share patient data for public health purposes due to concerns for both patient privacy and provider confidentiality. Dr. Khaled El-Emam and his research team at the CHEO Research Institute have developed a secure protocol and system that would solve this problem. |
| May 17, 2011 |
| Single-Dose H1N1 Vaccine Not Reliable Protection for Pediatric Liver Transplant Patients |
| Researchers from Australia determined that pediatric liver transplant patients who received a single-dose of the H1N1 vaccine were not adequately protected against the virus compared to healthy children. This study appearing in the August issue of Liver Transplantation, a journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, found that a second vaccination was needed to elicit an effective immune response in children 10 and older who had recently received a liver transplant. |
| July 26, 2011 |
| Smoke-exposed children with flu more likely to need ICU care |
| Children who are exposed to secondhand smoke are more likely to need intensive care and intubation when hospitalized with influenza, according to new research by the University of Rochester Medical Center presented today at the Pediatric Academic Society meeting in Denver. The children also had longer hospital stays. |
| May 2, 2011 |
| Something like 'Contagion' could happen for influenza |
| In the new movie "Contagion," fictional health experts scramble to get ahead of a flu-like pandemic as a drug-resistant virus quickly spreads, killing millions of people within days after they contract the illness. |
| September 15, 2011 |
| Statins may reduce mortality in patients hospitalized with influenza |
| The two main ways to prevent and control influenza today are annual immunization and antiviral drugs. A team of investigators has found that statins, cholesterol-lowering drugs, may offer an additional treatment to complement these approaches and reduce mortality among patients hospitalized with influenza. |
| December 14, 2011 |
| Stopping influenza evolution before it starts |
| If you get vaccinated against the flu and then become infected with the virus, your body mounts an immune response that prevents you from getting sick. However, that pressure from the immune system can provoke the virus to mutate into a slightly different form -- one that could be more infectious. |
| December 20, 2011 |
| Strict policy raises hospital's worker flu vaccination rate |
| A California hospital raised its employee influenza vaccination rate above 90 percent by shifting from a voluntary vaccination program to one mandating all healthcare workers either get vaccinated or wear a mask at work for the entire flu season (December through March). |
| December 12, 2011 |
| Study finds unhealthy substance use a risk factor for not receiving some preventive health services |
| Researchers from Boston Medical Center (BMC) and Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have identified unhealthy substance use as a risk factor for not receiving all appropriate preventive health services. The findings, which currently appear in BMJ Open, identify unhealthy substance use as a barrier to completion of mammography screening and influenza vaccination. |
| May 13, 2011 |
| Study offers new information for flu fight |
| Influenza virus can rapidly evolve from one form to another, complicating the effectiveness of vaccines and anti-viral drugs used to treat it. By first understanding the complex host cell pathways that the flu uses for replication. |
| January 27, 2012 |
| Swine Flu - Quick Reference |
| CDC Swine Flu update page |
| Including Stats. Infection Rates and Death rates. |
| Provides Information |
| Find a Flu Clinic |
| |
| Provides Information |
| Swine Flu FAQ |
| WebMD Provides Answers to Your Questions About Swine Flu |
| Provides Information |
| Swine Flu - A |
| A Grid Approach to Pandemic Disease Control |
| An evaluation of the Public Health Grid (PHGrid) technology during the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic could enhance the capabilities of epidemiologists and disease-control agencies when the next emergent disease appears, according to a study published in the International Journal of Grid and Utility Computing. |
| June 15, 2011 |
| Swine Flu - C |
| CDC Warning: Holidays May Bring More H1N1 |
| Let us give thanks — and pass the Purell. |
| November 25, 2009 |
| Swine Flu - F |
| Finland vows care for narcolepsy kids who had swine flu shot |
| The Finnish government and major insurance companies announced Wednesday they will pay for lifetime medical care for children diagnosed with narcolepsy after receiving the swine flu vaccine. |
| October 05, 2011 |
| First-Ever Supercomputer Sim of the H1N1 Virus Gives Researchers Resolution Down to the Atom |
| A different sort of computer virus gives drug developers new weaponry |
| November 15, 2011 |
| Swine Flu - G |
| Generation X: How young adults deal with influenza |
| Only about one in five young adults in their late 30s received a flu shot during the 2009-2010 swine flu epidemic, according to a University of Michigan report that details the behavior and attitudes of Generation X. |
| January 24, 2012 |
| Swine Flu - I |
| Infant In Minn. Develops H1N2, Unique Type Of H1N1 |
| Disease specialists are carefully monitoring the case of a Minnesota infant who developed a unique type of H1N1. |
| December 13, 2011 |
| Swine Flu - L |
| Large study reaffirms H1N1, seasonal flu vaccine safety |
| Back in spring 2009, the H1N1 influenza virus crossed the U.S. border and raised concerns that it might cause a full-scale epidemic in the fall. The Food and Drug Administration worked with other Health and Human Services agencies and vaccine manufacturers to quickly develop, license and distribute a vaccine to protect the public from this particularly virulent strain of the flu. |
| July 5, 2011 |
| Long-Term Study of Swine Flu Viruses Shows Increasing Viral Diversity |
| Although swine influenza viruses usually sicken only pigs, potentially one might also spark a pandemic in people, as occurred with the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus. Because few long-term studies have surveyed flu viruses in swine, however, gaps exist in what is known about the evolution of swine influenza viruses and the conditions that enable a swine virus to infect humans and cause disease. Increased transportation of live pigs appears to have driven an increase in the diversity of swine influenza viruses found in the animals in Hong Kong over the last three decades, according to a new study. |
| May 25, 2011 |
| Swine Flu - M |
| Mexico health sec: Swine flu way up after low year |
| Mexico's federal health secretary says swine flu cases in January have surpassed the number for all of 2011, a year when the virus barely appeared worldwide. |
| January 31, 2012 |
| Mexico state near US on alert after H1N1 deaths |
| Authorities in Mexico's Chihuahua state along the US border announced preventive health measures Sunday to stanch a return of an H1N1 epidemic after four people recently died of the virus. |
| March 28, 2011 |
| Mexico toll hits nine from A(H1N1) swine flu |
| The death toll in Mexico from an outbreak of A(H1N1) swine flu has hit nine, with 573 cases detected, officials said Sunday. |
| January 23, 2012 |
| Swine Flu - N |
| 'Networking' turns up flu viruses with close ties to pandemic of 2009 |
| Scientists using new mathematical and computational techniques have identified six influenza A viruses that have particularly close genetic relationships to the H1N1 "swine" flu virus that swept through the United States beginning in the spring of 2009. That virus eventually killed almost 18,000 people worldwide. |
| June 13, 2011 |
| Narcolepsy and Influenza: Onset of Narcolepsy Appears to Follow Seasonal Patterns of H1N1, China Study Finds |
| The onset of narcolepsy appears to follow seasonal patterns of H1N1 and other upper airway infections, according to a new study of patients in China that was led by Stanford University School of Medicine narcolepsy expert Emmanuel Mignot, MD. |
| August 22, 2011 |
| New hi-tech survey accelerates collection of vaccination data |
| New technology now makes it possible to collect 'near real-time' data about whether people are having any side effects from vaccination. By studying people who received the 2009-10 swine flu vaccination in Scotland, researchers showed that this rapid reporting can add another layer of safety to future vaccination campaigns. |
| November 15, 2011 |
| New light shed on world's deadliest pandemic mystery |
| University of Queensland research into the world's most deadly influenza pandemic in 1918 has shed light on a major medical mystery. |
| November 15, 2011 |
| New Swine Flu in 2 U.S. Kids |
| New Bug Has Gene From Pandemic Swine Flu; No Sign Yet of Human Spread |
| September 2, 2011 |
| Nicaragua swine flu outbreak infects 32 |
| At least 32 people have been infected in a flare-up of the H1N1 swine flu virus in Nicaragua over the last week, according to the health ministry. |
| October 14, 2011 |
| No substantial link between swine flu vaccine and Guillain-Barre syndrome, confirm experts |
| Adjuvanted vaccines used during the 2009 swine flu pandemic did not increase the risk of Guillain-Barré syndrome substantially, if at all, finds a large Europe-wide study published in the British Medical Journal today. An adjuvant is a substance added to a vaccine to stimulate the immune system to respond to the vaccine. |
| July 13, 2011 |
| Swine Flu - O |
| Official known for '76 swine flu fiasco has died |
| A prominent former federal health official whose career was tainted by controversy over a swine flu campaign in the 1970s has died. |
| May 3, 2011 |
| Swine Flu - P |
| Penn scientist tracks attitudes and H1N1 vaccination rates on Twitter |
| A unique and innovative analysis of how social media can affect the spread of a disease has been designed and implemented by a scientist at Penn State University studying attitudes toward the H1N1 vaccine. Marcel Salath-, an assistant professor of biology, studied how users of Twitter -- a popular microblogging and social-networking service -- expressed their sentiments about a new vaccine. |
| October 14, 2011 |
| People Hospitalized With Asthma 'Less Likely to Die from Swine Flu', Study Finds |
| People with asthma who are admitted to hospital with pandemic influenza H1N1 (swine flu) are half as likely to die or require intensive care than those without asthma, according to new research. |
| September 26, 2011 |
| Swine Flu - R |
| Reports of H1N1 outbreaks in Venezuela, Mexico prompt quick preventive action by health authorities |
| Health officials in Venezuela announced on Friday the number of confirmed H1N1 (swine flu) cases in the country has grown to more than 200, the Associated Press/Seattle Times reports (3/25). |
| March 29, 2011 |
| Research Demonstrates Link Between H1N1 and Low Birth Weight |
| In 2009, the United States was gripped by concern for a new winter threat: the H1N1 strain of influenza. According to research conducted through that winter, pregnant women were right to be concerned. |
| May 2, 2011 |
| Researchers identify key peptides that could lead to a universal vaccine for influenza |
| Researchers at the University of Southampton, University of Oxford and Retroscreeen Virology Ltd have discovered a series of peptides, found on the internal structures of influenza viruses that could lead to the development of a universal vaccine for influenza, one that gives people immunity against all strains of the disease, including seasonal, avian, and swine flu. |
| January 31, 2012 |
| Researchers study new strategies to treat patients with influenza |
| Influenza virus can rapidly evolve from one form to another, complicating the effectiveness of vaccines and anti-viral drugs used to treat it. By first understanding the complex host cell pathways that the flu uses for replication, University of Georgia researchers are finding new strategies for therapies and vaccines. |
| January 30, 2012 |
| Swine Flu - S |
| Scientists find H1N1 flu virus prevalent in animals in Africa |
| UCLA life scientists and their colleagues have discovered the first evidence of the H1N1 virus in animals in Africa. In one village in northern Cameroon, a staggering 89 percent of the pigs studied had been exposed to the H1N1 virus, commonly known as the swine flu. |
| September 23, 2011 |
| Study finds inadequate mask use among health care workers early in 2009 H1N1 outbreak |
| Inadequate use of masks or respirators put health care workers at risk of 2009 H1N1 infection during the earliest stages of the 2009 pandemic in the U.S.. |
| November 30, 2011 |
| Study shows H1N1 microneedle vaccine protects better than injection |
| A vaccine delivered to the skin using a microneedle patch gives better protection against the H1N1 influenza virus than a vaccine delivered through subcutaneous or intramuscular injection, researchers from Emory University and the Georgia Institute of Technology have found. Their research is published online in the Journal of Infectious Diseases. |
| July 12, 2011 |
| Swine flu killed more Britons last winter than in pandemic |
| More people in Britain died after contracting swine flu last winter, with most deaths among young and middle-aged adults, than during the pandemic a year earlier, official figures showed on Wednesday. |
| May 25, 2011 |
| Swine flu may have been more widespread in Scotland than previously believed, study says |
| Up to two million people in Scotland may have been infected with swine flu during the outbreak of winter 2009-2010, making the flu much more widespread than previously thought, according to a study published by researchers from the University of Edinburgh in PLoS One, BBC News reports. |
| June 10, 2011 |
| Swine flu strain that is resistant to Tamiflu is spreading more easily |
| The flu season is still young in the United States and the rest of the Northern Hemisphere, but Australia wrapped up its flu season months ago, and public health officials there have some disturbing news to report: The version of so-called swine flu that is resistant to the drug Tamiflu is spreading more easily in the land Down Under. |
| December 29, 2011 |
| Swine flu vaccine linked to narcolepsy: Finnish study |
| Researchers in Finland said Thursday they had confirmed a link between the swine flu vaccine and the onset of the sleep disorder narcolepsy in children. |
| September 1, 2011 |
| Swine flu victims' long road to recovery |
| Some flu patients who became ill over the winter could take up to 18 months to make a full recovery. |
| April 7, 2011 |
| Swine Flu - T |
| The H1N1 flu vaccine protects both pregnant women and newly-borns |
| The researchers studied the immune response of 107 pregnant women after they were injected with a single dose of non-adjuvant H1N1 vaccine. They concluded that the influenza shot boosted the immune response in pregnant women and at the same time protected neuronatal babies via the antibodies that transferred through the placenta. |
| December 7, 2011 |
| Swine Flu - W |
| When Well-Known Flu Strains 'Hook Up' Dangerous Progeny Can Result |
| A new University of Maryland-led study finds that 'sex' between the virus responsible for the 2009 flu pandemic (H1N1) and a common type of avian flu virus (H9N2) can produce offspring -- new combined flu viruses -- with the potential for creating a new influenza pandemic. |
| July 13, 2011 |
| WHO Director-General responds to draft report on agency's handling of H1N1 pandemic |
| WHO Director-General Margaret Chan on Monday responded to the first results of a probe into the agency's response to the H1N1 pandemic, Agence France-Presse reports. While calling attention to where the external panel committee commended the agency's actions, Chan also addressed the criticisms and recommendations issued in the draft report. Her comments came as the review committee held its "fourth and final public session" in Geneva to receive "feedback from countries and organizations on its preliminary report," CIDRAP News reports. |
| March 30, 2011 |
| Why did healthy children fall critically ill in the 2009 H1N1 flu pandemic? |
| During the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic, many previously healthy children became critically ill, developing severe pneumonia and respiratory failure, sometimes fatal. The largest nationwide investigation to date of influenza in critically ill children, led by Children's Hospital Boston, found one key risk factor: Simultaneous infection with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) increased the risk for flu-related mortality 8-fold among previously healthy children. |
| November 7, 2011 |
| T |
| Team Discovers Treatable Mechanism Responsible for Often Deadly Response to Flu |
| Researchers at The Scripps Research Institute have found a novel mechanism by which certain viruses such as influenza trigger a type of immune reaction that can severely sicken or kill those infected. |
| September 15, 2011 |
| To Meet, Greet or Retreat During Influenza Outbreaks? |
| When influenza pandemics arrive, the specter of disease spread through person-to-person contact can mean that schools close, hand sanitizer sales rise, and travellers stay home. But is severing social and business interactions with our neighbors really better than taking a chance on getting sick? |
| March 28, 2011 |
| Travelling epidemics: Human mobility patterns and their impact on the spread of epidemics |
| In a globalized world, infectious diseases such as SARS, swine flu or seasonal influenza can be transmitted over the entire planet by travellers. To enable a more effective response to this threat, scientists are trying to predict the propagation pathways and speed of such pandemics. Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-organization (MPIDS) in Gottingen and at University of Gottingen, Northwestern University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the USA, have now, for the first time, managed to develop mathematical models which account for individual mobility patterns. Not only did new calculations confirm that earlier models had significantly overestimated the speed with which diseases are propagated. The previously known criteria for a global outbreak also had to be broadened. The new study was selected by the American Physical Society for publication in the first issue of its new high-profile journal, Physical Review X. |
| August 31, 2011 |
| U |
| Universal flu vaccine a step closer thanks to discovery of natural antibody |
| Annually changing flu vaccines with their hit-and-miss effectiveness may soon give way to a single, near-universal flu vaccine, according to a new report from scientists at The Scripps Research Institute and the Dutch biopharmaceutical company Crucell. They describe an antibody that, in animal tests, can prevent or cure infections with a broad variety of influenza viruses, including seasonal and potentially pandemic strains. |
| July 6, 2011 |
| Universal flu vaccine clinical trials show promise |
| A universal influenza vaccine targeting a protein common to all strains of influenza A has safely produced an immune response in humans. If proven effective, the vaccine could eliminate the practice of creating a new flu vaccine annually to match predicted strains, with major implications for global health. |
| June 7, 2011 |
| Unprecedented Insight Into Fighting Viral Infections |
| Researchers at Rutgers and UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School have determined the structure of a protein that is the first line of defense in fighting viral infections including influenza, hepatitis C, West Nile, rabies, and measles. |
| September 29, 2011 |
| Using gold nanoparticles to diagnose flu in minutes |
| Arriving at a rapid and accurate diagnosis is critical during flu outbreaks, but until now, physicians and public health officials have had to choose between a highly accurate yet time-consuming test or a rapid but error-prone test. |
| August 3, 2011 |
| V |
| Vaccination dramatically reduces incidence of Hib disease in young children |
| Vaccination against Haemophilus influenzae type b, or Hib, once the most common cause of bacterial meningitis in children, has dramatically reduced the incidence of Hib disease in young children over the past 20 years, according to a study published in Clinical Infectious Diseases and available online. However, other strains of the bacteria continue to cause substantial disease among the nation's youngest and oldest age groups. |
| November 11, 2011 |
| W |
| Why do some influenza virus subtypes die out? |
| Every so often we hear about a new strain of influenza virus which has appeared and in some cases may sweep across the globe in a pandemic, much as the H1N1 virus did last year. What happens to the old seasonal viruses? |
| November 14, 2011 |
| Y |
| Your Questions About the Flu Vaccine |
| People come up with all kinds of excuses to avoid getting the flu vaccine. |
| March 21, 2011 |