Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

Latest Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

Face mask: A vital tool in fighting H1N1

With flu season officially underway on October 4th, Cantel Medical Corp., a company dedicated to infection prevention and control, recommends that Americans take extra precautions against spreading H1N1 influenza. Crosstex International, a subsidiary of Cantel Medical, is one of the largest U.S. manufacturers of face masks.

3 Oct 2009

Interim results of Sanofi Pasteur's Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine clinical trials announced

Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of the sanofi-aventis Group, announced today an interim analysis of data from clinical trials of the U.S. licensed Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine in adults 18 years through 64 years of age and over the age of 65 years.

3 Oct 2009

Researchers screen decades-old frozen infant stool samples to detect norovirus

A search through decades-old frozen infant stool samples has yielded rich dividends for scientists from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health.

3 Oct 2009

New flu emergency website launched

United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania has launched a new regional website geared towards helping families, individuals and organizations find up-to-date information on where to go for H1N1 and seasonal influenza shots and other critical news regarding the seasonal flu epidemics expected to hit the region.

3 Oct 2009

EMEA grants positive opinion for Baxter's CELVAPAN H1N1 pandemic vaccine

Baxter International Inc. today announced that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) granted its “positive opinion” for CELVAPAN H1N1 pandemic vaccine using Baxter’s Vero cell technology. This positive opinion confirms the acceptability of Baxter’s regulatory submission to obtain final marketing authorization and licensure of the product.

From Baxter International Inc. 3 Oct 2009

First U.S. patients could receive H1N1 vaccine next week

U.S. health officials announced Thursday the first batches of the H1N1 (swine flu) vaccine the government ordered will begin arriving in designated locations across the country on Tuesday and may be administered in the first patients by the end of next week, Reuters reports (Fox, 10/1).

3 Oct 2009

Update from BioCryst Pharmaceuticals regarding antiviral peramivir

BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: BCRX) today announced that the Office of the Secretary, Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) has issued "HHS Secretary's Declaration for the Use of the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act for the Influenza Antiviral Peramivir."

3 Oct 2009

CNN, TIME examine increasing antibiotic resistance

CNN examines a recent report by researchers that warns of increasing antibiotic resistance and appeals for governments to take action to develop new antibiotics to avert a health crisis.

3 Oct 2009

New study underscores lack of appropriate government action to ensure safety of vaccines

A new study in the leading scientific journal NeuroToxicology lends further credence to parents and scientists concerned about an increasingly aggressive childhood vaccine schedule and toxic vaccine components.

2 Oct 2009

New website offers personalized advice on H1N1

Researchers at the University of Southampton have developed a new website which gives personalised advice on coping with swine flu and other cold and flu symptoms.

1 Oct 2009

CVS Caremark to offer vouchers worth $3 million for free seasonal flu shots

With the unemployment rate currently at the highest in over two decades, CVS Caremark today announced it has begun to provide 100,000 free seasonal flu shots to the unemployed as part of its efforts to help keep Americans healthy this flu season. The initiative kicks off today at The Work Place, a member of the Massachusetts Career One-Stop Initiative in Boston.

1 Oct 2009

Study shows students do not follow proper hygiene routines

Thousands of bacteria lurk in college dormitories, but students are not following proper hygiene routines to help protect themselves from serious illness, according to a study released today from the Simmons College Center for Hygiene and Health in Home and Community, sponsored by an educational grant from LYSOL® brand products.

1 Oct 2009

Studies show vitamin D plays an important role in preventing respiratory infections

Several studies and articles published this year show that vitamin D plays an important role in the prevention of respiratory infections such as the cold and flu.

1 Oct 2009

Drug companies take immediate measures to deliver millions of H1N1 vaccines

Drug companies are sprinting ahead in a race against the clock to deliver millions of doses of vaccine for the H1N1 influenza virus before cooler weather ushers in the 2009-2010 flu season. A two-part cover story in the current issue of Chemical & Engineering News, ACS' weekly newsmagazine, focuses on that topic and efforts to develop antiviral drugs for flu infections.

1 Oct 2009

ACS NSQIP recognizes Baylor Dallas for achieving exemplary outcomes for surgical patient care

Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas has been recognized as one of 25 hospitals in the nation achieving exemplary outcomes for surgical patient care.

1 Oct 2009

NIH awards $10.5 million grant for OCD treatment research

A new research center exploring the science underlying a potential new treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder has been established at the University of Rochester Medical Center, thanks to a $10.5 million award from the National Institute of Mental Health.

1 Oct 2009

Medicaid members to receive cover for administration cost of the H1N1 vaccine from WellCare

WellCare Health Plans, Inc. (NYSE: WCG) announced it will cover the full cost of administration of the H1N1 vaccine as a preventative care benefit for Medicare Advantage, Medicare private fee-for-service (PFFS) and Medicaid plan members when it becomes available to the public.

1 Oct 2009

Acute therapy and follow-up care of burn disease discussed

Almost three quarters of patients with extensive burns die of the consequences of a severe infection. In the current edition of Deutsches Ärzteblatt International, Timo A. Spanholtz of the Cologne-Merheim Burn Center and his coauthors discuss the acute therapy and follow-up care of burn disease.

1 Oct 2009

Cardiac experts study a new procedure to treat leaky heart valves

Cardiac experts at Rush University Medical Center are studying a new, minimally invasive procedure to treat leaky heart valves. Instead of open heart surgery, patients will undergo a less complex catheter-based procedure to treat mitral regurgitation, a serious heart disorder where blood leaks backwards toward the lungs with each heart beat.

1 Oct 2009

Fetal exposure to H1N1 flu can increase risk of heart disease

People exposed to a H1NI strain of influenza A while in utero were significantly more likely to have cardiovascular disease later in life, reveals a new study to be published in Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease on Oct. 1.

1 Oct 2009