Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

Latest Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

Globally measles at an all time high

In the United States, the number of cases of vaccine-preventable viral disease measles is on a 25-year record high. According to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the main reason behind this is inadequate vaccination of the general population. Spread of misinformation regarding vaccine safety is to be blamed for inadequate vaccination of the population says the agency.

30 Apr 2019

Summer bummer: A young camper’s $142,938 snakebite

It was dusk as Oakley Yoder and the other summer camp kids hiked back to their tents at Illinois' Jackson Falls last July. As the group approached a mound of boulders blocking the path, Oakley, then 9, didn't see the lurking snake — until it bit a toe on her right foot.

30 Apr 2019

Adoption of new rules drops readmission penalties against safety net hospitals

Readmission penalties against hospitals providing care to socioeconomically disadvantaged patients have dropped 14 percentage points under new rules adopted in 2019 that more equitably account for low-income populations being served, according to a new analysis led by UT Southwestern Medical Center and Harvard researchers.

30 Apr 2019

Increasing body temperature of vulnerable neonates to greater than 36 degrees

Physician-researchers at the 2019 Pediatric Academic Societies Meeting in Baltimore presented their process of how from 2014 to 2017 they made their NICU a center of excellence for increasing the admission body temperature of their very low birth weight babies to greater than 36 degrees.

30 Apr 2019

How proteins in outer membrane of bacteria stick to and populate in human body

The discovery, published today in Nature Communications by researchers from La Trobe University and the University of Queensland, provides details on how proteins in the outer membrane of bacteria - the bacteria's 'superglue' - are able to stick to and populate parts of the human body.

30 Apr 2019

The return of the measles: are we going backward?

Measles, a disease that was once eradicated in many countries, is making a return. Thus, the question must be asked, are we going backward in our efforts to vaccinate and prevent the disease?

29 Apr 2019

Specialized memory T cells in the lungs cause attacks of allergic asthma, study shows

According to a current study of the Medical University Vienna, specialized T memory lymphocytes in the lungs that react to inhaled allergens, cause attacks of allergic asthma.

29 Apr 2019

Scientific evidence for and against causal associations for 47 adverse effects after immunization

A new systematic review provides a succinct summary of the scientific evidence for and/or against causal associations for 47 adverse events following immunization.

29 Apr 2019

Study: Caregivers of children may be vaccine hesitant and have inaccurate beliefs

Even caregivers whose children receive the first dose of influenza vaccine may be vaccine hesitant and have inaccurate beliefs regarding influenza vaccine and disease, according to a new American Academy of Pediatrics Pediatric Research in Office Settings study that was a collaboration between investigators at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, and the AAP.

27 Apr 2019

Researchers examine the barriers to vaccination in immunocompromised children

A new study examines the barriers to vaccination of immunocompromised children. Findings from the study will be presented during the Pediatric Academic Societies 2019 Meeting, taking place on April 24 - May 1 in Baltimore.

27 Apr 2019

Study examines differences in genetic risk factors for childhood-onset and adult-onset asthma

Asthma, a common respiratory disease that causes wheezing, coughing and shortness of breath, is the most prevalent chronic respiratory disease worldwide.

27 Apr 2019

Study finds significant delays in reporting human cases of West Nile virus

Mount Sinai researchers found significant delays in reporting human cases of West Nile virus, hampering real-time forecasting of the potentially deadly mosquito-borne disease, according to a study in the JAMA Network Open in April.

26 Apr 2019

Measles vaccination rates are a 'public health time bomb'

The number of measles cases is on the rise globally, with many countries seeing rates that surpass annual rates for the past century. Public health officials are calling it a 'time bomb'.

25 Apr 2019

Febrile seizures following vaccination are self-resolving and not dangerous

New research from the University of Sydney has found the severity of febrile seizures following vaccination is no different to febrile seizures from another cause, such as from a virus, and that the majority of seizures are short-lived, self-resolving and don't require ongoing treatment.

24 Apr 2019

Discovery about cold sensing could pave way for new pain relief drugs

Researchers at UCL have shown for the first time that mammals detect different intensities of cold using distinct sensory neuron systems, a finding which could lead to the development of new drugs to treat cold pain.

24 Apr 2019

New review on relationship between COPD and Type 2 diabetes

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is characterized by a chronic airflow obstruction that is associated with severe global mortality and morbidity.

23 Apr 2019

Study shows how elderberry fruit can help fight against influenza

Folk medicines and herbal products have been used for millennia to combat a whole range of ailments, at times to the chagrin of modern scientists who have struggled to explain their medicinal benefits.

23 Apr 2019

Sparse treatment options complicate cancer care for immigrants in South Texas

Edgar carries a red folder bulging with paperwork, bills and medical records. Before his lung cancer diagnosis in September, he had about $11,000, he said, money he was saving to purchase a used truck and to pay an immigration attorney to pursue legal residency.

23 Apr 2019

Marking the start of Pediatric Sepsis Week

On April 21st, Sepsis Alliance launched Pediatric Sepsis Week to raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of sepsis in children.

23 Apr 2019

UAB receives $17 million grant to explore immune cells in inaccessible tissues of the human body

University of Alabama at Birmingham researchers will receive $17.8 million in federal funding to attack a key "knowledge gap" in human immunology -- how the B cells and antibody-secreting cells that reside in tissues and organs differ from those found in blood.

23 Apr 2019