Influenza News and Research

Latest Influenza News and Research

Sugarcoating hides cellular RNA from the immune system

To our immune system, naked RNA is a sign of a viral or bacterial invasion and must be attacked. But our own cells also have RNA.

6 Aug 2025

Children show delayed exposure to respiratory viruses after COVID restrictions

COVID-19 prevention methods such as masking and social distancing also suppressed the circulation of common respiratory diseases, leaving young children lacking immunity to pathogens they otherwise would have been exposed to, a new multi-center clinical research study reveals.

6 Aug 2025

Identifying high risk "pathogen X" with potential to spark future pandemics

Announcing a new article publication for Zoonoses journal. In past decades, numerous emerging infectious diseases have markedly affected global health and social-economic development.

5 Aug 2025

Flu virus triggers neuropsychiatric symptoms not the medication

For decades, medical professionals debated whether a common antiviral medication used to treat flu in children caused neuropsychiatric events or if the infection itself was the culprit.

4 Aug 2025

New drug combo outperforms Tamiflu in fighting deadliest flu strains

A surprising new drug combo—including a compound found in chocolate—has outperformed Tamiflu in fighting the flu, according to a study published in PNAS.

4 Aug 2025

Respiratory infections can reactivate dormant breast cancer cells

Researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center (MECCC), and Utrecht University have found the first direct evidence that common respiratory infections, including COVID-19 and influenza, can awaken dormant breast cancer cells that have spread to the lungs, setting the stage for new metastatic tumors.

30 Jul 2025

Wastewater surveillance for detecting COVID-19 offers early warning and cost savings

Wastewater surveillance at treatment plants offers a low-cost, early warning method for detecting COVID-19. Researchers in Japan conducted an economic evaluation of a system for long-term care facilities that combines wastewater data with clinical testing thresholds to guide timely interventions.

30 Jul 2025

Dental floss may offer a novel vaccine delivery method

Researchers have demonstrated a novel vaccine delivery method in an animal model, using dental floss to introduce vaccine via the tissue between the teeth and gums.

28 Jul 2025

UK self-tests overstate accuracy and pose usability risks

Analysis of UK self-tests reveals critical flaws in accuracy claims, highlighting risks and the need for enhanced regulatory standards for consumer safety.

28 Jul 2025

Study finds past H1N1 exposure shields animals from deadly H5N1

Preexisting immunity to the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus provided near-complete protection against severe H5N1 disease and transmission in ferrets, even after high-dose exposure. In contrast, H3N2 immunity alone offered only partial, inconsistent protection.

28 Jul 2025

RSV causes severe outcomes and heart complications in older adults

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a well-known cause of infections in children, but it's understudied in older individuals.

23 Jul 2025

AI and wastewater surveillance unite to detect emerging viruses

Wastewater surveillance became a popular choice among public health officials looking to track rapid virus mutations and spread patterns during the COVID-19 pandemic.

21 Jul 2025

APOE ε4 variant reveals hidden risk factors beyond Alzheimer’s

Researchers discovered that people carrying the APOE ε4 gene variant share a unique immune-related protein signature across their blood, brain, and cerebrospinal fluid—regardless of neurodegenerative disease diagnosis. This signature reveals a fundamental, disease-independent vulnerability linked to APOE ε4, reframing our understanding of genetic risk in conditions like Alzheimer's, Parkinson’s, ALS, and FTD.

21 Jul 2025

Lipoxygenase emerges as a promising antiviral agent against severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) was reported in Asia, with a fatality rate that can reach as high as 50%.

18 Jul 2025

Local climate and wildlife factors help predict avian flu outbreaks in Europe

Several local factors - including the minimum temperature reached in autumn, the water level in lakes and ponds in winter, and the presence of mute swans (Cygnus olor) - could be key for predicting the potential of an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian flu (HPAI) occurring in Europe.

17 Jul 2025

Routine vaccines may be the key to fighting antibiotic resistance

A study reveals that rising vaccine coverage in children is linked to reduced antibiotic prescriptions, suggesting a shift in the fight against drug resistance.

16 Jul 2025

Genetic secrets of Spanish flu revealed through century-old sample

Researchers from the universities of Basel and Zurich have used a historical specimen from UZH's Medical Collection to decode the genome of the virus responsible for the 1918-1920 influenza pandemic in Switzerland.

14 Jul 2025

Early antibiotic exposure weakens infant immune development

A new study led by researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) found that early-life exposure to antibiotics can impair an infant's developing immune system, and that a naturally occurring metabolite may hold the key to reversing that damage.

14 Jul 2025

Therapeutic potential of houttuynia cordata polysaccharide in H1N1 and MRSA-induced acute pneumonia

This new article publication from Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B, discusses how an anti-complement homogeneous polysaccharide from Houttuynia cordata ameliorates acute pneumonia with H1N1 and MRSA coinfection through rectifying Treg/Th17 imbalance in the gut–lung axis and NLRP3 inflammasome activation.

12 Jul 2025