Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

Latest Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

Ebola virus vaccines for humans

One of the world's deadliest diseases, caused by the Ebola virus, may finally be preventable thanks to US and Canadian researchers, who have successfully tested several Ebola vaccines in primates and are now looking to adapt them for human use.

31 Mar 2008

Another bird flu case in Indonesia - expert says surveillance and strict control measures are the answer

Indonesian health authorities have announced another case of bird flu, bringing the country's total confirmed cases to 130 to date with 105 deaths.

31 Mar 2008

Wistar Institute shares cell lines

Cell lines developed by scientists at The Wistar Institute in Philadelphia have recently been made available to researchers around the globe through the catalog collection at the Coriell Institute for Medical Research of Camden, N.J.

26 Mar 2008

The focus on HIV/AIDS has helped forget the threat of tuberculosis

A leading Australian expert has warned that the international attention devoted to HIV/AIDS has dwarfed the threat of tuberculosis (TB).

25 Mar 2008

PharmAthene signs agreement to acquire biodefense vaccines business from Avecia

PharmAthene, Inc., a biodefense company specializing in the development and commercialization of medical countermeasures against biological and chemical threats, and Avecia Biologics Limited, a contract manufacturer of biopharmaceuticals, has announced that the companies have entered into a definitive sale and purchase agreement under which PharmAthene will acquire all of the assets and intellectual property related to Avecia's biodefense vaccines business.

24 Mar 2008

Fewer TB cases recorded but numbers still too high

A small decrease in UK Tuberculosis (TB) cases in 2007, compared with 2006, was reported by the Health Protection Agency today when provisional UK figures were released for World TB Day, but experts warn the number is still too high.

24 Mar 2008

WHO warns Aussies to prepare for deadly flu

The World Health Organisation (WHO) is warning Australians to prepare for a potentially deadly flu season.

23 Mar 2008

Skin patch gives bird flu vaccine a big boost

Researchers testing an experimental skin patch designed to boost an H5N1 vaccine say preliminary results have been promising.

21 Mar 2008

New understanding of Norwalk virus

Using the Canadian Light Source synchrotron, an international team led by University of Calgary researcher Ken Ng has determined the detailed structure of the enzyme the Norwalk virus uses to make copies of its genetic code in order to replicate itself.

20 Mar 2008

Physical therapy helps symptoms of urinary incontinence in women

A study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine (March 18, 2008) reports that pelvic floor muscle training, in conjunction with bladder training, resolved the symptoms of urinary incontinence in women.

20 Mar 2008

Community-acquired staph pneumonia appears more common, including MRSA

Preliminary research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggests that community acquired pneumonia (CAP) caused by the Staphylococcus aureus bacterium may be more common than originally suspected, including that caused by antibiotic resistant strains.

20 Mar 2008

Asthma medicines often not prescribed as guidelines recommend

More than a decade after national guidelines were issued for asthma treatment, some patients still don't receive prescriptions for the inhalers that experts say offer the safest and most effective long-term control of the disease, a new study suggests.

20 Mar 2008

UN gives stark warning about bird flu threat from Indonesia

Any danger that the world has become bored or complacent regarding the threat of bird flu will be dispelled by a stark warning from the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

19 Mar 2008

Poison prevention starts with respecting, inspecting medicines

Between tots' cough and cold medicines being pulled from store shelves, and a New York teenager dying from a muscle-cream overdose, the past year's scares are grounds for renewing a healthy fear for the products stowed in your medicine cabinet.

19 Mar 2008

Pneumococcal disease rates down since approval of a vaccine in 2000

Since the approval of a vaccine against pneumococcal bacteria for young children in 2000, rates of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) are down significantly in all age groups, while rates of IPD caused by non-vaccine strains are modestly on the rise.

19 Mar 2008