Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

Latest Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

Hand gel kills bird flu virus and Indonesian update

A company in the UK has come up with a hand gel which has the ability to kill the H5N1 bird flu virus in under a minute.

11 Sep 2006

Why H5N1 bird flu is so lethal

Researchers in Vietnam have discovered why the H5N1 bird flu virus currently at large is so lethal to humans.

11 Sep 2006

New Indonesian case of human infection with the H5N1 virus

The case is a 14-year-old female from Makassar, South Sulawesi Province. She developed symptoms on 18 June, was hospitalized on 23 June and died on 24 June.

11 Sep 2006

Trial shows H5N1 vaccine safe and effective

A vaccine in development against the H5N1 influenza virus can produce a safe immune response in healthy people at low doses, according to an article published by The Lancet.

7 Sep 2006

China appears to have beaten the world to a bird flu vaccine

Scientists in China have developed a potential vaccine against the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus currently sweeping across Asia.

7 Sep 2006

GPS the latest tool in fight against avian influenza

Wearing light solar-powered GPS satellite transmitters, wild swans from Mongolia are winging their way across Eurasia, while land-bound scientists tracking the birds' journeys on computers say that these unique studies will shed light on how wild birds may be involved in the spread of avian influenza.

6 Sep 2006

Lingering and longlasting effects of 9/11

According to a new report on the health effects of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City, 70% of the rescue personnel and workers who responded to the disaster suffered from lung problems during and after the recovery efforts.

6 Sep 2006

H5 and N1 avian influenza found in Pennsylvania wild bird samples

The U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Interior today announced that the presence of the H5 and N1 avian influenza subtypes in samples from wild mallard ducks in Pennsylvania.

5 Sep 2006

Messy nappies may be sign of severe intestinal infection

Anyone who's ever cared for an infant or young child knows what it's like to change the occasional smelly, messy diaper.

5 Sep 2006

Bird flu flys into Egypt again

Four new cases of bird flu have been detected in poultry in Egypt, after a two month infection free period.

5 Sep 2006

Bird flu: a new sampling campaign is planned in Africa

Asia, Europe, Africa... The bird flu epidemic has not needed a passport to cross borders, but has almost certainly required a vector.

4 Sep 2006

Record morbidity in Africa from Borreliosis, or relapsing fever

Borreliosis, or relapsing fever, is a disease provoked by bacteria of the genus Borrelia. Two of these are encountered in tropical Africa: Borrelia crocidurae in the Sahara and Sahel, Borrelia duttoni in East Africa.

4 Sep 2006

1918 Spanish flu treatment may also be effective for current avian influenza patients

USU faculty have discovered that a treatment for the Spanish Influenza pandemic may also be effective for current Avian Influenza patients.

4 Sep 2006

Sanofi pasteur begins shipping influenza vaccine

Sanofi pasteur, the vaccines business of the sanofi-aventis Group, began shipping influenza vaccine (Fluzone, Influenza Virus Vaccine) to the U.S. market for the 2006-2007 season.

4 Sep 2006

FDA warns of food safety risks during storm-related power outages and flooding

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning consumers to be alert to food safety risks that could result from possible power outages and flooding due to storms that currently threaten both coasts of the United States.

4 Sep 2006

TB strain with extreme resistance to drugs creates nightmare scenario

The appearance of a deadly new strain of tuberculosis (TB) has so concerned the World Health Organisation (WHO) that an emergency meeting of health experts has been convened in Johannesburg to discuss the issue.

4 Sep 2006

Ducks in Pennsylvania found with a strain of bird flu

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has found bird flu in wild ducks in Crawford County in northwestern Pennsylvania as part of a routine sampling procedure, but the strain is apparently not the deadly H5N1 strain currently sweeping across Asia.

4 Sep 2006

Parkinson's symptoms alleviated by electrical stimulation to the brain

A new study has shown that electrical stimulation to parts of the brain are more effective at alleviating the symptoms of Parkinson's disease than drugs alone.

31 Aug 2006

Preventive home visits postpone mortality: a controlled trial with time-limited results

Old people are less likely to die if they receive regular home visits from health professionals.

31 Aug 2006

FluChip can spot bird flu in under 12 hours

Scientists in the United States have developed a new technology that reduces the time it takes to achieve a detailed diagnosis of avian flu, from one week or more down to less than 12 hours.

30 Aug 2006