Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

Latest Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

Follow the money trail to track the disease

It seems that a popular Web site in the United States that tracks the geographical circulation of money could cast new light on predicting where infectious diseases like bird flu might pop up.

26 Jan 2006

Markets in Asia great place to catch bird flu

The death of the 29-year-old woman takes the death toll in China from the deadly virus to seven since November.

26 Jan 2006

Inhaling salt mist helps cystic fibrosis patients

Two studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine have found that inhaling mists of salt water can help clear mucus and improve lung function for cycstic fibrosis sufferers.

25 Jan 2006

Injection no better than a placebo at preventing influenza in children

U.S. health authorities should have waited for more evidence before recommending routine flu shots for healthy toddlers, according to a new systematic review of studies involving half a million children worldwide.

25 Jan 2006

Heat wraps can reduce back pain

The evidence base for using hot and cold therapies to relieve back pain is poor. There is moderate evidence that heat provides a short-term reduction in pain, but there are no good data showing whether or not cold therapy has any effect.

25 Jan 2006

Avian influenza could have disastrous effects on countries' economies, infrastructures, populations, public health and stability

In the past, when government leaders, policymakers and scholars have turned their attention to peace and security issues, the talk invariably has focused on war, arms control or anti-terrorism strategies. But Julian Palmore believes it's time to expand the scope of the conversation.

25 Jan 2006

WHO says Asian states too slow in reporting bird flu

The regional director for the World Health Organisation (WHO) in the Western Pacific has complained that Asian countries take too long to report some human cases of bird flu and this could hamper any efforts to contain a possible pandemic.

24 Jan 2006

Boy with rare swallowing disorder has robotic surgery at UIC

Surgeons at the University of Illinois Medical Center at Chicago performed robotic-assisted surgery on a 12-year-old Chicago boy with a rare swallowing disorder called achalasia.

24 Jan 2006

French defend drug after patients develop liver problems

Health authorities in the U.S. are recommending that doctors keep a close eye on patients taking Ketek for signs of liver problems and to stop treatment if symptoms develop.

24 Jan 2006

WHO accused of exaggerating bird flu pandemic threat

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has disputed claims that it has exaggerated the risk of a human influenza pandemic.

23 Jan 2006

WHO update on avian influenza in Indonesia

The Ministry of Health in Indonesia has confirmed an additional 2 cases of human infection with the H5N1 avian influenza virus. Both cases were fatal.

23 Jan 2006

UNICEF seeks $805 million for humanitarian efforts

UNICEF appealed to donors today to provide $805 million to assist children and women in 29 humanitarian emergencies.

23 Jan 2006

Watchful waiting may be appropriate for some inguinal hernia patients

As long as they remain under the watchful eyes of their primary care physicians, men who have an inguinal hernia (a weakening of the abdominal wall that bulges into the groin area) may postpone surgical repair unless the condition causes symptoms that interfere with their usual activities.

23 Jan 2006

Wine drinkers healthier than beer drinkers

People who buy wine also buy healthier food and therefore have healthier diets than people who buy beer, finds a study published online by the British Medical Journal.

22 Jan 2006

French woman has suspected bird flu

A Frenchwoman, recently returned from a visit to Turkey is suspected of having bird flu.

22 Jan 2006

Indonesians deaths bring bird toll to 82

According to a senior official at the Indonesian Health Ministry, a Hong Kong laboratory has confirmed that two children from the same Indonesian family have died from the H5N1 strain of bird flu this month.

22 Jan 2006

Tamiflu alone won't work in bird flu pandemic

In a review published this week a warning has been issued against the apparent reliance by most countries on the drug Tamiflu to combat a bird flu pandemic.

19 Jan 2006

Lab-on-chip can detect bird flu in humans

European microchip maker STMicroelectronics is planning to market a disposable laboratory microchip that can confirm within about an hour a human case of bird flu.

18 Jan 2006

$2 billion to fight bird flu

At an international conference in Beijing almost $2 billion has been pledged to stop the spread of bird flu.

18 Jan 2006

Experts demand more funds to stop the spread of bird flu

At a meeting in Beijing to whip up funds for the global fight against bird flu, the European Union has raised its contribution to the fund by $20 million taking their total commitment to $120 million, but other contributions appear to be thin on the ground.

18 Jan 2006