Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

Latest Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

MChip to detect H5N1

Scientists from the University of Colorado at Boulder and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have developed an inexpensive "gene chip" test based on a single influenza virus gene that could allow scientists to quickly identify flu viruses, including avian influenza H5N1.

14 Nov 2006

Brookhaven target new anti-SARS virus drugs

Scientists at Brookhaven National Laboratory have set the stage for the rapid identification of compounds to fight against severe acquired respiratory syndrome (SARS), the atypical pneumonia responsible for about 800 deaths worldwide since first recognized in late 2002.

14 Nov 2006

Tamiflu to carry warning about abnormal behaviour

The Food and Drug Administration in the U.S. (FDA) is recommending that patients who take Tamiflu be closely monitored for signs of abnormal behaviour.

14 Nov 2006

Congress to focus on labor-HHS, other unfinished appropriations Bills during Lame-Duck session

Congress likely will focus on the fiscal year 2007 Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill and other unfinished spending bills during a lame-duck session that began on Monday, the Wall Street Journal reports.

13 Nov 2006

Link between common lifestyle factors, immune system and cancer

The immune system is fickle, and easily influenced by more than just viruses and bacteria. It can be swayed by the seemingly unexpected, such as by what we eat, for example, and affected by surprising sources.

13 Nov 2006

Indonesia confirms 74th case of bird flu

The Ministry of Health in Indonesia has confirmed an additional two cases of human infection with the H5N1 avian influenza virus.

13 Nov 2006

Bird flu death toll in Indonesia now 56 with one more sick

The death of a 2-year-old boy from bird flu has taken the death toll in Indonesia to 56.

13 Nov 2006

Global resurgence in zoonotic viral diseases

Doctors and veterinarians need to work together to tackle the increasing global threat of zoonotic viral diseases spread by non-human vertebrate hosts - including dogs, cattle, chickens and mosquitoes - according to a review in the November issue of Journal of Internal Medicine.

8 Nov 2006

Chinese bird flu expert will head the WHO

Dr. Margaret Chan, a Chinese expert on bird flu, is to be the next head of the World Health Organization (WHO).

8 Nov 2006

Chronic fatigue syndrome a public health epidemic says CDC

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States says more than a million Americans suffer from Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS).

6 Nov 2006

Stay cool and live longer!

If new research is to be believed living longer may simply be a case of staying cool.

6 Nov 2006

WHO has a go at China over new birdflu strain

The World Health Organisation (WHO) says the new strain of the H5N1 bird flu virus currently circulating in China has shown no significant signs of mutation which would enable it to spread easily among people.

6 Nov 2006

Doctors worried about dramatic rise of TB in the UK

Experts have expressed concern over the steady rise in Tuberculosis (TB) in the last seven years in Britain.

6 Nov 2006

Salmonella traced to tomatoes

Health officials in the U.S. say that the recent outbreak of Salmonella food poisoning there probably came tomatoes which were served in restaurants.

6 Nov 2006

For divorced women health pays the price ten years down the line

A 10-year study by researchers at Iowa State University has revealed that women who divorce give up more than just a husband.

2 Nov 2006

Chinese lack of transparency could trigger bird flu pandemic

The transparency of health authorities in China has come under criticism yet again with the news of a new strain of the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus which virologists say could be resistant to vaccines.

1 Nov 2006

Weill Cornell findings could foil two potential bioterror agents - viral peptide prevents deadly Hendra, Nipah viruses from infecting cells

Two lethal and easily transmitted viruses -- both potential bioterror agents -- may soon be much less dangerous, thanks to research led by scientists at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City.

31 Oct 2006