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The chicken and egg problem of fighting another flu pandemic

Even a peep of news about a new flu pandemic is enough to set scientists clucking about eggs.

31 May 2024

Inexpensive “duckbill” N95 becomes the champion in COVID-19 mask effectiveness

In a head-to-head comparison of masks worn by people with active COVID-19, the inexpensive "duckbill" N95 came out on top, stopping 98% of COVID-19 particles in the breath of infected people from escaping into the air.

30 May 2024

Vaccination remains crucial for preventing avian influenza spread, says study

Vaccination remains the most effective strategy for avian influenza prevention and control in humans, despite varying vaccine efficacy across strains.

29 May 2024

Farmworkers face high-risk exposures to bird flu, but testing isn’t reaching them

Farmworkers face some of the most intense exposures to the bird flu virus, but advocates say many of them would lack resources to fall back on if they became ill.

29 May 2024

Clues from bird flu’s ground zero on dairy farms in the Texas Panhandle

In early February, dairy farmers in the Texas Panhandle began to notice sick cattle. The buzz soon reached Darren Turley, executive director of the Texas Association of Dairymen: "They said there is something moving from herd to herd."

23 May 2024

100-year-old BCG vaccine protects individuals with type 1 diabetes from infectious diseases

In new research, investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) show that the 100-year-old Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine, originally developed to prevent tuberculosis, protects individuals with type 1 diabetes from severe COVID-19 disease and other infectious diseases.

22 May 2024

Health experts call for tighter biosecurity measures to monitor avian influenza

Health experts are calling for tighter biosecurity measures in global poultry production, from farms to markets, to monitor bird flu (avian influenza) following its spread among 888 cases of human infection with the avian influenza virus, also known as H5N1, have been reported from 23 countries, of which 463 were fatal, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

21 May 2024

New drug-like molecules show promise in preventing influenza by blocking virus entry

Currently available flu medications only target the virus after it has already established an infection, but what if a drug could prevent infection in the first place?

21 May 2024

Watch: Medical residents are increasingly avoiding abortion ban states

On KFF Health News' "What the Health?," chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner sat down with Atul Grover of the Association of American Medical Colleges to talk about its recent analysis showing that graduating medical students are avoiding training in states with abortion bans and major restrictions.

21 May 2024

Breakthrough study shows benefits of diagnosing hidden respiratory diseases

Finding and treating people with undiagnosed asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) improved their health and reduced their healthcare visits for respiratory symptoms in the year after diagnosis, according to a world-first clinical trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

20 May 2024

Newsom boosted California’s public health budget during covid. Now he wants to cut it.

When a doctor in Pasadena, California, reported in October that a hospital patient was exhibiting classic symptoms of dengue fever, such as vomiting, a rash, and bone and joint pain, local disease investigators snapped into action.

20 May 2024

Study reveals positive impact of repeat COVID-19 vaccinations

Health-care workers received the first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine in December 2020.

17 May 2024

H5N1 avian flu strain jumps to seals in Quebec, raising zoonotic fears

Study describes the unusual mortality of gray and harbor seals in Quebec due to a highly pathogenic avian influenza A (H5N1) strain, raising concerns about potential zoonotic spillover.

17 May 2024

KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Bird flu lands as the next public health challenge

Public health officials are watching with concern since a strain of bird flu spread to dairy cows in at least nine states, and to at least one dairy worker.

16 May 2024

Study shows cows harbor both human and avian flu receptors in their mammary glands

Study investigates the expression of influenza A virus (IAV) receptors in bovine respiratory, cerebral, and mammary tissues, revealing significant localization of human and duck receptors in mammary glands and predominant chicken receptors in the respiratory tract, which may influence the transmission and pathogenesis of IAV in cattle.

8 May 2024

New influenza vaccine strategies aim to enhance protection with T-cell responses

A recent review highlights the need for innovative influenza vaccines that combine T-cell and antibody responses to enhance protection across multiple strains and seasons.

6 May 2024

Breakthrough study identifies potential treatments for influenza-associated encephalopathy

It might start simply, with a cough or sneeze…but in some cases, the flu virus can make its way to your brain, causing serious symptoms or even death through a disease known as influenza-associated encephalopathy (IAE).

3 May 2024

Bird flu is bad for poultry and dairy cows. It’s not a dire threat for most of us — yet.

Headlines are flying after the Department of Agriculture confirmed that the H5N1 bird flu virus has infected dairy cows around the country.

3 May 2024

Bird flu detected in cow's milk: Insights from an infectious disease expert

In light of the United States Food and Drug Administration's announcement that bird flu has been discovered in cow's milk, board-certified infectious disease physician Carl Abraham, M.D., assistant professor at New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine (NYITCOM), shares insights on what the general public should know.

2 May 2024

KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Abortion access changing again in Florida and Arizona

The national abortion landscape was shaken again this week as Florida's six-week abortion ban took effect.

2 May 2024

Flu News and Research

The chicken and egg problem of fighting another flu pandemic

Inexpensive “duckbill” N95 becomes the champion in COVID-19 mask effectiveness

Vaccination remains crucial for preventing avian influenza spread, says study

Farmworkers face high-risk exposures to bird flu, but testing isn’t reaching them

Clues from bird flu’s ground zero on dairy farms in the Texas Panhandle

100-year-old BCG vaccine protects individuals with type 1 diabetes from infectious diseases

Health experts call for tighter biosecurity measures to monitor avian influenza

New drug-like molecules show promise in preventing influenza by blocking virus entry

Watch: Medical residents are increasingly avoiding abortion ban states

Breakthrough study shows benefits of diagnosing hidden respiratory diseases

Newsom boosted California’s public health budget during covid. Now he wants to cut it.

Study reveals positive impact of repeat COVID-19 vaccinations

H5N1 avian flu strain jumps to seals in Quebec, raising zoonotic fears

KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Bird flu lands as the next public health challenge

Study shows cows harbor both human and avian flu receptors in their mammary glands

New influenza vaccine strategies aim to enhance protection with T-cell responses

Breakthrough study identifies potential treatments for influenza-associated encephalopathy

Bird flu is bad for poultry and dairy cows. It’s not a dire threat for most of us — yet.

Bird flu detected in cow's milk: Insights from an infectious disease expert

KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Abortion access changing again in Florida and Arizona

Discover how SciY empowers scientists

Why use light scattering to analyze proteins and viral vectors?

Changing the landscape of R&D to build clinical success from the ground up

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