Cold, Flu & Cough

What is the Common Cold?

The common cold, also known as rhinopharyngitis, is a type of respiratory tract infection caused by a virus.

Does the 'Stomach Flu' Vaccine Prevent Type I Diabetes?

Risk Factors and Walking Pneumonia Prevention

Walking Pneumonia Versus Common Cold

Influenza Infection in Animals

Walking Pneumonia Versus Common Cold

Latest Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

AI analyzes Reddit posts to find underreported GLP-1 side effects

By using AI to analyze more than 400,000 Reddit posts, Penn researchers have identified patient-reported symptoms associated with GLP-1s, the popular weight-loss and diabetes drugs semaglutide and tirzepatide, that may not be fully captured in clinical trials or regulatory documents.

10 Apr 2026

Dynamic AI models detect body tipping points to forecast disease before symptoms

The editorial, "Dynamics-driven medical big data mining: dynamic approaches to early disease forecasting and individualized care," published in Intelligent Medicine (February 2026, Volume 6, Issue 1), was written by Lu Wang (Tianjin Medical University), Han Lyu (Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University), and Bin Sheng (Shanghai Jiao Tong University).

10 Apr 2026

Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center opens new trial for neuroendocrine tumors

A clinical trial for patients with high-grade neuroendocrine tumors is now open for enrollment at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.

10 Apr 2026

Vibrio cholerae acquires antiviral defenses through horizontal gene transfer

Like most bacteria, Vibrio cholerae lives under constant attack from viruses. To survive, bacteria equip themselves with antiviral immune systems.

9 Apr 2026

Sauna bathing boosts white blood cells for better immune defense

Sauna bathing releases white blood cells into the bloodstream, a new study from Finland shows. Circulating white blood cells play a key role in the body's defense against various pathogens and diseases.

9 Apr 2026

Flu vaccines protect children well across Europe, but H3N2 remains harder to stop

Influenza vaccination provided strong real-world protection for children in European primary care across two seasons, with overall vaccine effectiveness of 68% in 2022–2023 and 71% in 2023–2024. Protection was highest against influenza B and H1N1, while H3N2 showed lower and more variable effectiveness, supporting the need for higher uptake and continued monitoring.

8 Apr 2026

Breastfeeding patterns in India differ between slum and non-slum neighborhoods

A new study from the University of Toronto shows that where a mother lives in an Indian city – in a slum or a non‑slum neighborhood – is linked to how she breastfeeds her baby.

8 Apr 2026

High-dose flu vaccine reduces Alzheimer’s risk in older adults

A study reveals high-dose influenza vaccines could modestly reduce Alzheimer's risk in older adults, especially women, offering new insights into prevention.

8 Apr 2026

Climate shock effects persist for generations, fruit fly study shows

A new paper in Molecular Biology and Evolution, published by Oxford University Press, finds that changes in animal development induced by climate shock persist generations after the initial event.

8 Apr 2026

Urgent care clinics move to fill abortion care gaps in rural areas

Providing abortions was the last thing Shawn Brown thought she'd be doing when she opened an urgent care clinic in this remote town in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

8 Apr 2026

One Health Summit drives a new wave of coordinated action for global health threats

On World Health Day, global leaders gathered in France for a milestone "One Health Summit", where the World Health Organization (WHO) and partners announced a new wave of concrete actions to better protect people, animals and the planet from future health crises.

7 Apr 2026

Study questions benefits of fish oil after mild brain injuries

A first-of-its-kind study led by the Medical University of South Carolina raises questions about the value of fish oil supplements for people with repetitive mild traumatic brain injuries.

7 Apr 2026

Waterfowl movement patterns influence spread of avian influenza outbreaks

The movement patterns of waterfowl, including ducks, swans and geese, may affect the spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza in bird populations, according to a new study from the University of Georgia.

7 Apr 2026

AI helps researchers find antimicrobial peptides in Earth’s harshest habitats

Researchers built the Extreme Environment Microbiome Catalog from 78,213 genomes across global extreme habitats, revealing major taxonomic and biosynthetic novelty, including 32,715 representative species, nearly 4 billion non-redundant genes, and 163,693 biosynthetic gene clusters. They then used protein language models to identify 3,032 candidate non-toxic antimicrobial peptides, with 84 of 100 synthesized peptides showing antibacterial activity and low cytotoxicity in the 50 tested in mammalian cells.

6 Apr 2026

Flu vaccination may cut heart attack and stroke risk after infection

In Danish adults aged 40 years or older, laboratory-confirmed influenza was linked to a sharp short-term rise in first-time heart attack and stroke risk, especially in the first 7 days after infection. Prior same-season influenza vaccination was associated with about half the excess cardiovascular risk among infected individuals, suggesting possible protection even in breakthrough cases.

6 Apr 2026

Novel mucosal vaccine offers broad protection against diverse influenza viruses

A novel vaccine platform has been developed to induce broad, protective immunity against numerous influenza virus infections, showing promise as an effective mucosal vaccine strategy, according to a study published by researchers in the Institute for Biomedical Sciences at Georgia State University.

3 Apr 2026

Overnight machine perfusion enables safe daytime liver transplants

It is safe for patients to receive a donor liver that has been intentionally preserved overnight using machine perfusion to enable a daytime transplant.

3 Apr 2026

High-dose flu shots inked to lower Alzheimer's dementia risk in older adults

A large US claims-based study found that adults aged 65 and older who received a high-dose flu vaccine had a lower observed risk of Alzheimer dementia than those who received a standard-dose vaccine, with the association lasting up to 25 months in per-protocol analyses and 28 months in intention-to-treat analyses. The signal appeared stronger and more sustained in women, though the authors stress that the findings are observational and need confirmation in longer prospective studies.

2 Apr 2026

New drying technique stabilizes vital vaccines at room temperature

A significant challenge in global healthcare and biotechnology is the "cold chain"-the network of refrigerated storage and transport required to keep protein-based drugs, vaccines, and diagnostic tests from degrading.

2 Apr 2026

Flu vaccine halves heart attack risk after breakthrough infection

Influenza vaccination could significantly reduce the risk of influenza-associated heart attack and stroke even among people who get infected after getting the vaccine, according to research just published in Eurosurveillance.

2 Apr 2026