Influenza News and Research

Latest Influenza News and Research

Immune history influences person's response to flu vaccine

New research on why the influenza vaccine was only modestly effective in recent years shows that immune history with the flu influences a person's response to the vaccine.

20 Feb 2018

Loyola Medicine primary care physician offers advice to minimize risk of flu

With widespread flu activity across most of the U.S., avoiding exposure can be difficult, but Loyola Medicine primary care physician Mary Barsanti-Sekhar, MD, offers some advice to minimize the risk.

19 Feb 2018

Researchers develop sensing method for early detection of cancer and diabetes

The use of terahertz waves for biosensing is currently receiving considerable attention. THz waves are able to detect molecular vibrations and rotations, without using labels that can affect the properties of the substances of interest.

19 Feb 2018

Study provides new insights on why healthy children die from flu

With this year's severe flu season, one statistic is especially chilling. Each year, around 50 percent of all children under 5 years old who die from the flu were previously healthy, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

16 Feb 2018

Hand hygiene-intervention practices may reduce risk of infection among nursing home patients

Infection prevention practices centered on hand hygiene protocols can save lives across all healthcare facilities, not just hospital settings.

15 Feb 2018

Flu raises risk of heart attacks

A new study reveals that persons who have been diagnosed with influenza confirmed with laboratory diagnostic tests, are around six times more likely to be admitted for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) or heart attack within a week compared to their risk before they had had the flu.

14 Feb 2018

Kids under two at greater risk of flu related death

Seasonal flu deaths have been studied and it has been seen that since 2009, over the six seasons of flu with the H1N1 strain of the virus, children under 2 years of age are most likely to succumb. Less than one third of these babies that died had received a vaccination against the flu virus.

14 Feb 2018

Far-UVC light may offer solution to eradicating airborne flu viruses

Continuous low doses of far ultraviolet C light can kill airborne flu viruses without harming human tissues, according to a new study at the Center for Radiological Research at Columbia University Irving Medical Center.

9 Feb 2018

Smart thermometer can improve forecasting of influenza activity

A new approach tested by researchers at the University of Iowa shows that de-identified data from a "smart thermometer" connected to a mobile phone app can track flu activity in real time at both population and individual levels and the data can be used to significantly improve flu forecasting.

8 Feb 2018

Special protein improves survival and lung function of mice with influenza, study shows

GM-CSF, a protein that modifies the immune response to the flu, may also help reduce lung inflammation and improve survival during influenza, according to Penn State researchers.

8 Feb 2018

New FluChip-8G technology could aid in pandemic preparedness

InDevR Inc., a Boulder-based analytical technology and life science company, today announced plans to launch a Research Use Only version of their FluChip-8G technology to aid in pandemic preparedness.

6 Feb 2018

Sports beverages not recommended for illness-related dehydration

Hospitals across the nation have been hit by a double whammy: an alarming flu season combined with a shortage of intravenous fluids.

31 Jan 2018

Study paves new way for development of vaccines against epidemics

The search for vaccines, treatments and preventive methods against infection by emerging viruses is one of the major challenges of global epidemiology.

30 Jan 2018

New study reveals an association between flu and heart attack

A new study has revealed a six-fold increased risk of heart attack during the first seven days of a laboratory-confirmed case of influenza.

25 Jan 2018

Universal vaccine produces long-lasting immunity against influenza A viruses in mice

Researchers have developed a universal vaccine to combat influenza A viruses that produces long-lasting immunity in mice and protects them against the limitations of seasonal flu vaccines, according to a study led by Georgia State University.

24 Jan 2018

Study illustrates role of specific antibodies in protection against influenza

People with higher levels of antibodies against the stem portion of the influenza virus hemagglutinin protein have less viral shedding when they get the flu, but do not have fewer or less severe signs of illness, according to a new study published in mBio.

23 Jan 2018

Anti-inflammatory pill could help make vaccines more effective for the elderly

By identifying why skin immunity declines in old age, a UCL-led research team has found that an anti-inflammatory pill could help make vaccines more effective for elderly people.

22 Jan 2018

Older hospitalized patients less likely to be tested for influenza

This year's flu season is shaping up to be an especially serious one, and it's important for clinicians to promptly recognize, diagnosis, and treat influenza in hospitalized patients, especially in vulnerable populations such as older individuals.

19 Jan 2018

Reminders can improve immunization rates

Rates of immunization against infectious diseases in children and adults are improving, but under-vaccination remains a problem that results in vaccine-preventable deaths and illnesses. In Europe, 11,316 cases of measles were reported during 2012, and an estimated four to 50 million symptomatic cases of flu occur each year.

19 Jan 2018