Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

Latest Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

Influenza A H1N1 Real Time RT-PCR tests detect RNA of H1N1 influenza virus

Focus Diagnostics, the infectious disease diagnostics business of Quest Diagnostics Incorporated, today announced that its Influenza A H1N1 (2009) Real Time RT-PCR test is now available as a test kit for use by "high complexity" clinical laboratories in the U.S.

21 Aug 2009

Federal guidelines for seasonal and swine flu vaccines questioned

With the seasonal flu season approaching and uncertainty over whether swine flu will become more severe, new research published by Yale School of Public Health has found that more people are likely to avoid illness if vaccines are given out first to those most likely to transmit viruses, rather than to those at highest risk for complications.

20 Aug 2009

WHO says confirmed H1N1 deaths worldwide reach 1,800

According to the latest WHO report out Wednesday, the number of confirmed H1N1 (swine) flu deaths since its emergence in April has reached 1,799 - a jump from 1,462 deaths since the agency's last update, Agence France-Presse/the Australian reports.

20 Aug 2009

Chemical components of elderberry, cinnamon and green tea extracts block HIV viruses from infecting cells

The development of new antiviral drugs has had a tremendous impact on the quality of life and life expectancy of HIV-positive and AIDS patients, as the drugs effectively disrupt the replication cycle of the HIV virus. Yet the regular use of those drugs - such as zidovudine (also known as azidothymidine or AZT), protease inhibitors, and highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) involving multidrug therapies - has led to resistant HIV strains.

20 Aug 2009

Seasonal flu vaccinations to cost less in Safeway's U.S. Stores

Safeway Inc. (NYSE:SWY) added to its leadership reputation in health care reform and cost control by offering seasonal flu vaccines in its U.S. stores at a substantial savings compared with the cost of doctor-administered vaccines. The lower cost will help consumers and businesses control health care spending in a challenging economy.

20 Aug 2009

MedImmune, WPS and AYSO collaboratively launch a national health awareness campaign

MedImmune, Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) and the American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO) today officially launched "Don't Play with the Flu,"((TM)) a national health awareness campaign that aims to highlight the importance of getting a seasonal influenza vaccination every year.

20 Aug 2009

Social networking for social wellbeing

Computer scientists at the University of Southampton are using social networking tools to explore if individuals can enhance their personal and social wellbeing over time if they quickly share how they feel about issues such as their busyness, enjoyment, health and stress via these networks.

20 Aug 2009

Inovio Biomedical records $2.9 million revenues in the six months ended June 30, 2009

Inovio Biomedical Corporation (NYSE AMEX: INO) (“Inovio”) today reported financial results for the three and six months ended June 30, 2009. Total revenue of $2.5 million and $2.9 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2009, compared to $663,000 and $1.3 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2008, respectively.

20 Aug 2009

InterMune receives $20 million event payment from Roche for initiating the Phase 2b trial of RG7227/ ITMN-191

Roche (SIX: ROG.VX; RO.S, OTCQX: RHHBY) and InterMune, Inc. (Nasdaq: ITMN) today announced that the first patient has been dosed in a Phase 2b study evaluating the hepatitis C virus (HCV) protease inhibitor, RG7227/ ITMN-191, in combination with PEGASYS(R) (pegylated interferon alfa-2a) and COPEGUS(R) (ribavirin). The study, to be conducted at 45 sites globally, will further define the safety and efficacy profile of RG7227/ ITMN-191, for a treatment duration of up to 24 weeks. Approximately 300 treatment-naive patients chronically infected with HCV genotype 1 - the most difficult to treat form of the virus - will participate.

20 Aug 2009

Childhood vaccination awareness campaign intensified by COSHAR Foundation

The COSHAR Foundation has enhanced its national immunization awareness campaign, Protecting our Future: The COSHAR Foundation Immunization Project, by updating its free immunization toolkits with new materials, including updated information about autism and vaccines and information on H1N1 flu. The new toolkits are available now.

20 Aug 2009

H1N1 vaccine administration coverage for eligible members of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Maine

Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Maine has announced that it will offer coverage for the administration of the H1N1 (swine flu) vaccine when it becomes commercially available to the general public. The vaccine administration will be covered for members whose benefit plans provide coverage for vaccines.

20 Aug 2009

New guidance for businesses to plan for and respond to upcoming flu season

Department of Commerce (DOC) Secretary Gary Locke, Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, and Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano today announced new guidance for businesses to plan for and respond to the upcoming flu season.

19 Aug 2009

The Gambia introduces pneumococcal immunisation programme

The Gambia, Minister of Health Dr. Mariatou Jallow administered the first dose of the pneumococcal vaccine to Gambian children at a rural clinic outside Banjul today. Joined by the Gambia’s Vice President, Mrs. Isatou Njie-Saidy, Dr. Jallow and hundreds of Gambian citizens celebrated this historic event, which marks the first step in the rollout of the Gambia’s national pneumococcal immunisation programme.

19 Aug 2009

AstraZeneca Canada files a New Drug Submission (NDS) for FluMist in Canada

AstraZeneca Canada Inc. announced today that it has filed a New Drug Submission (NDS) for FluMist(R) (Influenza Vaccine, Live Attenuated Intranasal) with Health Canada.

19 Aug 2009

U.S. Food and Drug Administration launches new Center for Tobacco Products

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today launched its new Center for Tobacco Products in an historic effort to curb the hundreds of thousands of deaths caused by those products each year.

19 Aug 2009

H1N1 vaccine orders top 1 billion, WHO Says

"Northern hemisphere countries have so far ordered more than one billion doses of swine flu vaccine, the World Health Organisation said Tuesday, sparking warnings over shortages," Agence France-Presse reports. While some countries, including Greece, The Netherlands, Canada and Israel, have ordered enough vaccine to inoculate their citizens, "[o]thers, such as Germany, the United States, Britain and France, have put in orders that would cover between 30 and 78 percent of people," the news service writes.

19 Aug 2009

Norovirus controlled on cruise ship Marco Polo with vaporisation process by Activ8

The cruise ship Marco Polo, whose round-Britain cruise had to be cancelled because hundreds of passengers became ill with the vomiting bug Norovirus, has been totally disinfected by SitexOrbis' revolutionary infection control fogging service in just 5 hours at the Tilbury docks.

19 Aug 2009

Common-sense precautions for H1N1

Doctors and hospitals nationwide expect a surge in H1N1 influenza cases during the upcoming flu season. In a new video and the tips below, Yvonne Maldonado, MD, chief of infectious disease at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford, explains what every parent should know about H1N1 flu as children head back to school.

19 Aug 2009

CEL-SCI expands work on current H1N1 virus vaccine

CEL-SCI Corporation has announced that it is expanding the scope of its work towards creating a novel treatment and vaccination against the current H1N1 virus, as well as a future mutated form in which the virus has acquired greater morbidity and mortality.

19 Aug 2009

Computed tomography angiography can identify abnormalities and injury beyond the pulmonary arteries

Children with clinically suspected pulmonary embolism (PE) are increasingly being evaluated with CT angiography (CTA). Even though many children ultimately test negative for PE, study results suggest that CTA is still valuable for this indication because it has the ability to accurately detect a variety of alternative diagnoses.

19 Aug 2009