H3N2 News and Research

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Influenza A virus subtype H3N2 (also H3N2) is a subtype of viruses that cause influenza (flu). H3N2 viruses can infect birds and mammals. In birds, humans, and pigs, the virus has mutated into many strains. H3N2 is increasingly abundant in seasonal influenza, which kills an estimated 36,000 people in the United States each year.

New flu forecasting tool makes better predictions by factoring evolution of virus

Each year, public health officials monitor the spread of influenza to identify which flu strains need to go into that year's vaccines and where outbreaks will occur. But it can be difficult to predict how bad a particular flu season will be until people actually start getting sick.

25 Oct 2017

Skin-applied microneedle patch boosts immunization to seasonal flu vaccine recipients, study finds

A boosting skin vaccination with a biodegradable microneedle patch and protein constructed from sequences of influenza virus subtypes could improve the effectiveness of conventional influenza vaccines, according to a study led by Georgia State University.

19 Jul 2017

New TSRI study could have implications for development of flu vaccines, drug therapies

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have shown that for the virus that causes the flu, two wrongs can sometimes make a right.

15 Jun 2017

Canines in Florida are hit with a contagious dog flu strain

Hundreds of dogs are hit with dog flu over the last couple of years. In a new development, this flu strain has hit Florida for the first time. At least a dozen dogs have been down with the virus according to a report issued by the University of Florida’s College of Veterinary Medicine on the 31st of May 2017.

1 Jun 2017

Research findings pave way for more efficient, protective influenza vaccines

New findings challenge the traditional policy of replacing old strains in existing human influenza vaccines with recent variants with only minimal changes.

21 Apr 2017

High-dose flu vaccine appears to be effective at preventing post-influenza deaths among older adults

The high-dose flu vaccine appeared to be more effective at preventing post-influenza deaths among older adults than the standard-dose vaccine, at least during a more severe flu season, according to a large new study of Medicare beneficiaries published in The Journal of Infectious Diseases.

2 Mar 2017

Novel approach could help counter Influenza A virus in immune-compromised patients

To infect its victims, influenza A heads for the lungs, where it latches onto sialic acid on the surface of cells.

24 Oct 2016

CDC recommends flu shot via injection for safe and effective prevention of diseases

This year, everyone will have to roll up their sleeves and receive the flu shot via injection, as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention no longer recommends the nasal flu mist vaccine due to ineffectiveness.

30 Sep 2016

Scientists design new universal flu vaccine to protect against future global pandemics

An international team of scientists have designed a new generation of universal flu vaccines to protect against future global pandemics that could kill millions.

30 Sep 2016

Scientists use computer model to explore geographical origins of influenza virus

A computer model developed by scientists at the University of Chicago shows that small increases in transmission rates of the seasonal influenza A virus (H3N2) can lead to rapid evolution of new strains that spread globally through human populations.

14 Sep 2016

H3N2v-neutralizing antibodies produced from human subjects given candidate vaccine

Influenza A viruses are responsible for seasonal disease outbreaks in humans. Influenza A also circulates among bird and some mammal populations and periodically crosses between species.

8 Jul 2016

Novel strategy to predict antigenic evolution of circulating influenza viruses

During the 2014-15 flu season, the poor match between the virus used to make the world's vaccine stocks and the circulating seasonal virus yielded a vaccine that was less than 20 percent effective.

24 May 2016

Minor flu strains carry bigger viral punch

Minor variants of flu strains, which are not typically targeted in vaccines, carry a bigger viral punch than previously realized, a team of scientists has found. Its research, which examined samples from the 2009 flu pandemic in Hong Kong, shows that these minor strains are transmitted along with the major strains and can replicate and elude immunizations.

5 Jan 2016

Simple approach to predict viral evolution may improve vaccine efficacy

New results from a study performed at the University of Helsinki suggest that genomic information from circulating influenza viruses can help in producing more efficient seasonal vaccines. The researchers were able to develop a simple approach for reliable real-time tracking and prediction of viral evolution based on whole-genome sequences of influenza viruses.

8 Dec 2015

Get your flu shot before fall festivities, says Loyola infectious disease specialist

While planning your family's fall festivities this month, add the flu shot to the list. Then follow through with a visit to your doctor to make sure everyone is protected for the flu season. October is the recommended month to receive the vaccine for your best shot at preventing the flu.

13 Oct 2015

New test capable of detecting all viruses that affect people and animals

A new, super-sensitive test has been developed that can detect virtually any virus that causes illness in humans and animals, according to researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

1 Oct 2015

New test identifies viruses that infect people and animals

A new test detects virtually any virus that infects people and animals, according to research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, where the technology was developed.

30 Sep 2015

New study affirms value of influenza vaccination among older people

A new study of the records of millions of nursing home residents affirms the value of influenza vaccination among the elderly. The Brown University analysis found that between 2000 and 2009, the better matched the vaccine was for the influenza strain going around, the fewer nursing home residents died or were hospitalized.

25 Aug 2015

GSK starts shipping FLUARIX QUADRIVALENT (Influenza Vaccine) to US healthcare providers

GSK announced today it has begun shipping FLUARIX QUADRIVALENT (Influenza Vaccine) doses to US healthcare providers, following licensing and lot-release approval from the US Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research.

16 Jul 2015

New dissolvable microneedle patch could make flu vaccination easier, safer and less painful

Flu vaccines delivered using microneedles that dissolve in the skin can protect people against infection even better than the standard needle-delivered vaccine, according to new research published in Biomaterials. The authors of the study, from Osaka University in Japan, say their dissolvable patch - the only vaccination system of its kind - could make vaccination easier, safer and less painful.

15 Jul 2015