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Scientists identify key protein driving severe flu in older people

Scientists have discovered why older people are more likely to suffer severely from the flu, and can now use their findings to address this risk.

8 Sep 2025

Penn State researchers reveal new function of antibody-producing cells

The body has an intricate system to defend against infections where each type of immune cell plays a distinct role. Now, a study led by researchers from the Penn State College of Medicine has uncovered a new function of the immune cells that are known for making antibodies.

3 Sep 2025

Changes at NIH give political appointees greater power to fund or block research

The Trump administration has given notice that political appointees, rather than scientists, will ultimately decide who gets grant money from the world’s largest biomedical research funder — the federal government's National Institutes of Health.

3 Sep 2025

AI model predicts flu vaccine strains more accurately than WHO

AI-based models like VaxSeer outperform traditional methods in flu vaccine strain selection, enhancing effectiveness and addressing global influenza challenges.

2 Sep 2025

New guidelines highlight importance of vaccination for heart patients

The American College of Cardiology has issued Concise Clinical Guidance (CCG) recommending vaccines to protect adults with heart disease against respiratory illness, including influenza, COVID-19 and RSV, and other diseases where vaccination is shown to offer cardiovascular protective benefits.

26 Aug 2025

Blue states that sued kept most CDC grants, while red states feel brunt of Trump clawbacks

The Trump administration's cuts to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention funding for state and local health departments had vastly uneven effects depending on the political leanings of a state, according to a KFF Health News analysis.

26 Aug 2025

Generative AI model scans emergency notes to identify high-risk avian influenza exposures

Researchers from the University of Maryland School of Medicine developed a new and highly effective application of an artificial intelligence (AI) tool to quickly scan notes in electronic medical records and identify high-risk patients who may have been infected with H5N1 avian influenza or "bird flu", according to new findings published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases.

25 Aug 2025

As measles exploded, officials in Texas looked to CDC scientists. Under Trump, no one answered.

As measles surged in Texas early this year, the Trump administration's actions sowed fear and confusion among CDC scientists that kept them from performing the agency's most critical function — emergency response — when it mattered most, an investigation from KFF Health News shows.

25 Aug 2025

Early infection traits help predict future disease spread

When a disease-causing virus or other organism is transmitted from one species to another, most of the time the infection sputters and dies out.

21 Aug 2025

Scientists explore hookworm proteins as potential treatment for inflammation

It's been a long-accepted reality that with age comes increased inflammation – so widely accepted it's been dubbed "inflammaging."

21 Aug 2025

How shifting landscapes drive new bird flu threats across Asia

Landscape changes across the East Asian–Australasian Flyway have reshaped waterfowl migration, increasing interactions with poultry. This shift amplified cross-species viral transmission and raised the risk of avian influenza virus reassortment and diversification.

20 Aug 2025

New genetic study reveals why people age differently

It's a fact of life: Some people age better than others. Some ease into their 90s with mind and body intact, while others battle diabetes, Alzheimer's or mobility issues decades earlier.

20 Aug 2025

It’s almost flu season. Should you still get a shot, and will insurance cover it?

For parents of school-aged children, the fall to-do list can seem ever-growing. Buy school supplies. Fill out endless school forms.

18 Aug 2025

Respiratory viruses awaken dormant breast cancer cells and raise relapse risk

Respiratory viruses such as influenza and COVID-19 can reactivate dormant breast cancer cells in the lungs, raising the risk of metastasis. The process is driven by IL-6–induced cell changes and immune suppression, with the highest recurrence risk soon after infection.

14 Aug 2025

Artificial intelligence enables discovery of novel compounds to fight drug-resistant bacteria

With help from artificial intelligence, MIT researchers have designed novel antibiotics that can combat two hard-to-treat infections: drug-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae and multi-drug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).

14 Aug 2025

Rare immune mutation unlocks universal antiviral protection

For a few dozen people in the world, the downside of living with a rare immune condition comes with a surprising superpower-the ability to fight off all viruses.

14 Aug 2025

‘Alternative facts’ aren’t a reason to skip vaccines

President Donald Trump's administrations have been notorious for an array of "alternative facts" — ranging from the relatively minor (the size of inaugural crowds) to threats to U.S. democracy, such as who really won the 2020 election.

14 Aug 2025

KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Kennedy cancels vaccine funding

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s announcement that the federal government will cancel nearly $500 million in mRNA research funding is unnerving not only for those who develop vaccines, but also for public health experts who see the technology behind the first covid-19 shots as the nation's best hope to combat a future pandemic.

7 Aug 2025

Most air cleaning technologies lack evidence of real-world effectiveness

A new study led by researchers from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) finds that although many technologies claim to clean indoor air and prevent the spread of viruses like COVID-19 and the flu, most have not been tested on people and their potential risks are not yet fully understood.

4 Aug 2025

Flu virus triggers neuropsychiatric symptoms not the medication

For decades, medical professionals debated whether a common antiviral medication used to treat flu in children caused neuropsychiatric events or if the infection itself was the culprit.

4 Aug 2025