Influenza News and Research

Latest Influenza News and Research

New AI method tracks immune responses without known antibody databases

A research team comprising Associate Professor FUNAKOSHI Yohei, Associate Professor YAKUSHIJIN Kimikazu, Professor MINAMI Hironobu, and Associate Professor OHJI Goh of Kobe University, together with graduate student MASUDA Genki, then-graduate student IIZUMI Shunsuke, Associate Professor OHUE Masahito, and colleagues at the Institute of Science Tokyo, has developed a new analysis method, LM-QASAS.

9 Sep 2026

Independent review reinforces value of vaccines across all ages

The Gerontological Society of America (GSA) supports the 2026-27 respiratory season vaccine evidence review released on September 2, 2026, by the Vaccine Integrity Project (VIP) in collaboration with the American Medical Association.

4 Sep 2026

Far-UVC light tested to combat avian influenza on farms

When a strain of highly pathogenic avian influenza, HPAI, tore through U.S. poultry farms in early 2025, farmers culled tens of millions of birds and egg prices soared.

3 Sep 2026

Maternal illness may reshape fetal brain development through epigenetics

Neurodevelopmental conditions, which include autism spectrum disorders, ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder), and more, impact around ten percent of the American population.

2 Sep 2026

Nanoparticle flu vaccine design could pave way for broader protection

Influenza viruses constantly shapeshift to evade recognition by the immune system. This shapeshifting occurs in critical proteins like hemagglutinin (HA), which controls how the virus attaches to human cells before entering them.

2 Sep 2026

Host-targeting drugs offer new way to fight flu resistance

A drug that targets the host rather than the virus could get around the problem of anti-viral resistance. Every year, hundreds of thousands of people die of seasonal influenza, caused by infection with influenza A and B viruses.

1 Sep 2026

Newly discovered lung immune cells could transform future flu vaccine design

Influenza continues to cause major illness each year in the United States, leading to more than 35,000 deaths annually. Children, older adults, pregnant individuals, people with weakened immune systems, and those with chronic conditions such as heart disease, metabolic disorders, and cancer are especially vulnerable.

31 Aug 2026

The US switch in shingles vaccines revealed an unexpected heart health pattern

In a natural experiment involving 72,920 propensity-matched US adults aged 60 years and older, recombinant shingles vaccination was associated with a 9% lower cardiovascular disease burden over seven years compared with the live attenuated vaccine. Lower burdens of ischemic heart disease and heart failure were seen in both sexes, while ischemic stroke was significantly lower only among men, supporting further clinical trials and mechanistic studies

27 Aug 2026

New artificial lung mimics breathing and alveolar movement

Almost everyone has blown a soap bubble through a straw at least once. Inspired by this thin soap bubble film, an "artificial lung that breathes" like a real lung has been developed.

25 Aug 2026

Yeast-based nanoparticle vaccine could make annual flu shots obsolete

The world mostly relies on an 80-year-old method for producing flu vaccines from chicken eggs - a slow, costly process that struggles to quickly adapt to new, mutant strains.

24 Aug 2026

Nanoparticle vaccine offers long-lasting protection against multiple flu strains

A new, nanoparticle vaccine could one day grant patients immunity to the flu with fewer trips to the doctor and without health officials correctly guessing which flu strains will become dominant each year.

24 Aug 2026

New model measures social drivers behind infectious disease outbreaks

Influenza spreads in a crowded barracks or prison. Ebola proliferates when per-capita hospital beds plummet below the typical levels in developed countries.

19 Aug 2026

Bladder infection amplifies cognitive problems after traumatic brain injury

A urinary tract infection that follows a moderate brain injury can worsen cognitive problems caused by the injury, new research in mice shows.

19 Aug 2026

Why pregnancy vaccination looks very different in Germany than it did 19 years ago

A 19-year German claims analysis of more than 2.8 million pregnancies found that recorded maternal vaccination increased substantially after national recommendations for influenza and pertussis immunization were introduced. Influenza vaccination reached 19.4% and pertussis vaccination about 37% in 2020-2022, while COVID-19 vaccination was not captured in the databas

19 Aug 2026

Novel norovirus vaccine approach may be adaptable for other RNA viruses

Every RNA virus — from stomach bugs and influenza to chickenpox and the common cold — has its own story to tell, with a unique combination of symptoms, rates of transmission, duration, and chemical blueprint.

19 Aug 2026

Study examines how public deliberation can strengthen public health policymaking

Public health policies are commonly evaluated by their financial costs and expected outcomes. However, policy decisions must also be supported by strong evidence, political feasibility, effective implementation, and public trust to achieve lasting public health benefits.

13 Aug 2026

H5N1 infections remain rare among workers exposed to infected birds

A two-year cohort study of 428 people exposed to H5N1-infected birds in England found fewer than 1% met criteria for infection, with no severe disease or secondary human transmission. The findings support continued PPE use, biosecurity, and targeted surveillance while highlighting challenges around occupational exposure, mucosal contamination, and pandemic preparedness.

10 Aug 2026

Antiviral treatment lowers ICU risk for children with influenza

A new nationwide study finds antiviral treatment is linked to fewer intensive care unit (ICU) admissions and shorter hospital stays for children hospitalized with influenza.

10 Aug 2026

Airplane wastewater pilot shows how airports could track pathogens across borders

Researchers showed that airplane wastewater from a shared US-UK transatlantic route could be collected and analyzed to detect respiratory and enteric pathogen genetic material. The pilot also captured SARS-CoV-2 lineage patterns, including earlier detection of XEC on UK-origin flights, while showing the need for harmonized assays and broader sampling.

4 Aug 2026

Children remain more vulnerable to influenza despite protective antibody levels

Researchers analyzing 1,518 South African household participants found that higher pre-season antibody titers were associated with lower infection risk for three of four influenza viruses studied. Children remained more susceptible after accounting for measured exposure and antibody titers, while younger children shed viral RNA longer than older adults.

3 Aug 2026