H1N1 News and Research

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Novel influenza A (H1N1) is a new flu virus of swine origin that was first detected in Mexico and the United States in March and April, 2009. The first novel H1N1 patient in the United States was confirmed by laboratory testing at CDC on April 15, 2009. The second patient was confirmed on April 17, 2009. It was quickly determined that the virus was spreading from person-to-person. On April 22, CDC activated its Emergency Operations Center to better coordinate the public health response. On April 26, 2009, the United States Government declared a public health emergency.

It’s thought that novel influenza A (H1N1) flu spreads in the same way that regular seasonal influenza viruses spread; mainly through the coughs and sneezes of people who are sick with the virus.

Flu shots and COVID-19 immunity

A new paper finds that the influenza vaccine may influence both the response to and incidence of infection by the SARS-CoV-2.

14 Sep 2021

Microscopy paired with AI leads to a fast, accurate, and cost-effective COVID-19 test

Beckman researchers paired microscopy with artificial intelligence to develop a COVID-19 test that's fast, accurate, and cost-effective. All we need to do is say "ahh."

12 Sep 2021

Highly neutralizing human convalescent plasma reduces lung inflammation in SARS-CoV-2-infected macaques

A new study reignites the debate regarding the therapeutic utility of convalescent plasma in treating others with the COVID-19.

7 Sep 2021

New online tool to help medical staff quickly support COVID-19 patients

Researchers at Case Western Reserve University have developed an online tool to help medical staff quickly determine which COVID-19 patients will need help breathing with a ventilator.

3 Sep 2021

Millions of Africans are at risk of contracting COVID-19 due to lack of public health tools

Millions of people across the African continent are at risk of contracting COVID-19 because of a lack of the most basic public health tools to protect themselves - including the essentials of soap and water.

20 Aug 2021

Resilience training for healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic

Research carried out in the United States along with fourteen other countries suggested high rates of depression, anxiety, and acute stress reactions in healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The healthcare workers were found to suffer from high levels of stress as they had to face increased clinical demands during this time and were cut off from essential sources of support.

3 Aug 2021

Sick leave eligibility rules in the U.S. widen racial inequalities in the labor market, finds study

Paid sick leave is one of the most powerful tools for preventing the spread of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases and ensuring all workers can access treatment-;yet tens of millions of workers across the U.S. lack coverage.

26 Jul 2021

Researchers develop random priming amplification method for whole-genome sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 and H1N1

Researchers from the UK recently compared the performance of 4 different random priming amplification methods to recover SARS-CoV-2 RNA. In method 1 (H-P), the reverse transcriptase (RT) step included random hexamers, whereas, in methods 2-4, RT incorporated an octamer primer with a known tag. This study is published on the bioRxiv preprint server.

5 Jul 2021

Research pinpoints a molecular component responsible for modulating flu damage

New experimental data pinpoints a molecular component responsible for modulating the damage the flu can wreck on the lungs.

2 Jul 2021

Zinc-embedded polyamides inactivate SARS-CoV-2 and influenza A

The researchers show that the fabric retains its virus-inactivating property and stable zinc content over 50 standardized washes.

1 Jul 2021

SARS-CoV-2 detection with a simple, inexpensive, and sensitive molecular test

Researchers from the US recently described a rapid molecular test named WHotLAMP for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 in saliva. WHotLAMP is easy to use, very sensitive at 3.6 viral RNA copies per microliter of saliva, specific, and inexpensive. This study is published on the medRxiv*preprint serve.

23 Jun 2021

Is liquid chalk an effective disinfectant of SARS-CoV-2 and influenza viruses?

A recent study, published in the American Society for Microbiology’s journal, mSphere, evaluated the use of many liquid chalk products as antiseptics against the transmission of highly pathogenic human viruses such as influenza A virus (H1N1), SARS-CoV-2, (IAV), and norovirus in a mouse norovirus (MNV) model. The researchers applied chalk before or after virus inoculum and determined the recovery of infectious virus to mimic its use in the gym setting.

22 Jun 2021

What it means when celebrities stay coy about their vaccine status

When two St. Louis Blues hockey players were sidelined because of covid-19 just days before this year's NHL playoffs, the team said young defenseman Jake Walman had been vaccinated against the deadly illness. But it was mum about the vaccination status of a more well-known player: star forward David Perron.

21 Jun 2021

Which vitamins and minerals help with COVID?

A study published in the journal Inflammopharmacology reviewed recent data related to the role of vitamins and minerals in treating COVID-19 patients. The primary goal of the review is to highlight the possible therapeutic role of vitamins A, B, C, D, E and K, and micronutrients as immunity boosters in COVID-19 patients.

18 Jun 2021

Novel altruistic stem cell defense mechanism may be targeted to develop new COVID-19 vaccines

The SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 may have the ability to reactivate dormant tuberculosis (TB). In a novel study scientists report in The American Journal of Pathology that infection with a specific coronavirus strain reactivated dormant Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) in mice.

16 Jun 2021

The great promise of antiviral peptides against SARS-CoV-2

A new study, recently published in the journal Viruses, describes the impressive evidence for the role of antimicrobial peptidse (AMPs) in the treatment of COVID-19.

7 Jun 2021

New strategy for developing universal flu vaccine

A new study from the University of Chicago and Scripps Research Institute shows that during the last great pandemic--2009's H1N1 influenza pandemic--people developed strong, effective immune responses to stable, conserved parts of the virus.

4 Jun 2021

Reduced birth rates during early pandemic are predicted to rebound soon

A different type of surge may be on the way more than a year into the pandemic - a baby surge.The COVID-19 shutdown initially seemed to hit pause on pregnancy and birth rates, new research from one major hospital system suggests, but that trend is quickly reversing.