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Getting influenza vaccine linked to 50% drop in risk of death for heart failure patients

For people with heart failure, getting a seasonal influenza (flu) vaccine in a given year was associated with a 50 percent drop in the risk of death during flu season and a 20 percent drop in the risk of death during the rest of the year, according to research presented at the American College of Cardiology's 67th Annual Scientific Session.

1 Mar 2018

At some California hospitals, fewer than half of workers get the flu shot

How well are doctors, nurses and other workers at your local hospital vaccinated against the flu?

28 Feb 2018

Obesity not found to be risk factor for acute respiratory illnesses

Although obesity has been considered a risk factor for more-severe cases of the flu, a new study found that it is not a risk factor for severe acute respiratory illnesses, including the flu, in children or adults.

28 Feb 2018

Researchers create models that predict spread of flu in the United States

Using several large datasets describing health care visits, geographic movements and demographics of more than 150 million people over nine years, researchers at the University of Chicago have created models that predict the spread of influenza throughout the United States each year.

27 Feb 2018

Following the fire: Montana scientists seize chance to scrutinize smoke exposure

Jean Loesch and her family live in Seeley Lake, Mont., which saw the longest and most intense smoke from Montana’s wildfires last summer. Loesch has 10 children, adopted or in her foster care, and they are learning what it’s like to have lingering respiratory problems.

27 Feb 2018

Steps to take for boosting immune system and maintaining a healthy body

We know that germs can make you sick, but if you seem to constantly be under the weather with cold symptoms, could it be something other than germs that are getting you down?

24 Feb 2018

Targeted vaccination can be successful in containing epidemic outbreaks

Amidst growing concerns over the low uptake of flu shots in Europe, scientists from the Italian National Research Council and the Joint Research Centre, the European Commission's sciuence and knowledge service, confirm that vaccinations remain the best way forward when it comes to stopping the spread of infectious diseases.

23 Feb 2018

Researchers create algorithm to reduce spread of infectious diseases

Public outreach campaigns can prevent the spread of devastating yet treatable diseases such as tuberculosis (TB), malaria and gonorrhea. But ensuring these campaigns effectively reach undiagnosed patients, who may unknowingly spread the disease to others, is a major challenge for cash-strapped public health agencies.

21 Feb 2018

Immune history influences person's response to flu vaccine

New research on why the influenza vaccine was only modestly effective in recent years shows that immune history with the flu influences a person's response to the vaccine.

20 Feb 2018

Loyola Medicine primary care physician offers advice to minimize risk of flu

With widespread flu activity across most of the U.S., avoiding exposure can be difficult, but Loyola Medicine primary care physician Mary Barsanti-Sekhar, MD, offers some advice to minimize the risk.

19 Feb 2018

Study provides new insights on why healthy children die from flu

With this year's severe flu season, one statistic is especially chilling. Each year, around 50 percent of all children under 5 years old who die from the flu were previously healthy, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

16 Feb 2018

Hand hygiene-intervention practices may reduce risk of infection among nursing home patients

Infection prevention practices centered on hand hygiene protocols can save lives across all healthcare facilities, not just hospital settings.

15 Feb 2018

CAR-T therapy saves life of cancer researcher

About a dozen years ago, Dr. Woodring Wright, a UT Southwestern Professor of Cell Biology, sneezed. It broke one of his vertebrae, the interlocking bones that make up the spinal column.

14 Feb 2018

Flu raises risk of heart attacks

A new study reveals that persons who have been diagnosed with influenza confirmed with laboratory diagnostic tests, are around six times more likely to be admitted for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) or heart attack within a week compared to their risk before they had had the flu.

14 Feb 2018

Kids under two at greater risk of flu related death

Seasonal flu deaths have been studied and it has been seen that since 2009, over the six seasons of flu with the H1N1 strain of the virus, children under 2 years of age are most likely to succumb. Less than one third of these babies that died had received a vaccination against the flu virus.

14 Feb 2018

Far-UVC light may offer solution to eradicating airborne flu viruses

Continuous low doses of far ultraviolet C light can kill airborne flu viruses without harming human tissues, according to a new study at the Center for Radiological Research at Columbia University Irving Medical Center.

9 Feb 2018

Researchers shine new light on hookworm-malaria co-infections

A study released today from an international team of researchers shines new light on "co-infections," infectious diseases that attack the immune system simultaneously.

9 Feb 2018

Smart thermometer can improve forecasting of influenza activity

A new approach tested by researchers at the University of Iowa shows that de-identified data from a "smart thermometer" connected to a mobile phone app can track flu activity in real time at both population and individual levels and the data can be used to significantly improve flu forecasting.

8 Feb 2018

Special protein improves survival and lung function of mice with influenza, study shows

GM-CSF, a protein that modifies the immune response to the flu, may also help reduce lung inflammation and improve survival during influenza, according to Penn State researchers.

8 Feb 2018

New FluChip-8G technology could aid in pandemic preparedness

InDevR Inc., a Boulder-based analytical technology and life science company, today announced plans to launch a Research Use Only version of their FluChip-8G technology to aid in pandemic preparedness.

6 Feb 2018