Influenza News and Research

Latest Influenza News and Research

Nasal spray vaccine gives kids more protection from flu than shots

In a new study involving thousands of children across the world, a new version of the nasal spray vaccine FluMist has been found to be more effective at preventing influenza than traditional flu shots.

18 Feb 2007

Turkey tycoon denies responsibility for bird flu outbreak

Turkey tycoon Bernard Matthews, has apologised to customers in Britain for the outbreak of bird flu on one of his Suffolk farms.

18 Feb 2007

Seasonal flu vaccine offers some protection from H5N1

The yearly influenza vaccine that health officials urge people to get each fall might also offer certain individuals some cross protection against the H5N1 virus commonly known as bird flu, according to investigators at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

13 Feb 2007

Preparing for the next flu pandemic

A combination of antiviral drugs should be stockpiled for use in an influenza pandemic, say researchers in the British Medical Journal.

11 Feb 2007

Fighting influenza with 40,000 blood samples

Four million people die every year from respiratory diseases such as viral influenza. For elderly people in particular, an infection can be dangerous. What is more, the flu vaccine is not as effective with this risk group as it is with younger people.

7 Feb 2007

Scientists change bird flu virus and stop it spreading

Scientists at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have found that just two small changes in the virus that caused the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic stopped it from jumping between mammals in the laboratory.

4 Feb 2007

Indonesia comes up with bird flu vaccine

The head of Indonesia's national committee on avian influenza has announced that scientists there have developed a bird flu vaccine for humans.

1 Feb 2007

Nigeria confirms avian influenza infection in woman from Lagos

The government of Nigeria has announced the death from suspected avian influenza infection in a 22-year-old female from Lagos. She died on 16 January 2007.

31 Jan 2007

Molecular change in 1918 pandemic influenza virus stops transmission

Experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have shown that a molecular change in the 1918 pandemic influenza virus stops its transmission in ferrets that were in close proximity, shedding light on the properties that allowed the 1918 pandemic virus to spread so quickly.

31 Jan 2007

Nventa Bio issued U.S patent for heat shock protein fusion to treat influenza

The patent provides coverage for compositions of fusion proteins comprised of an influenza antigen fused to a heat shock protein (Hsp), as well as DNA encoding such fusion proteins and their use in immunotherapy.

30 Jan 2007

Japanese authorities battle with third outbreak of bird flu

Health officials in Japan confirm that chickens on a farm in Okayama have died from a strain of bird flu; around 40 birds are thought to have succumbed to the virus which has not as yet been determined to be the deadly H5N1 strain.

29 Jan 2007

GlaxoSmithKline's new influenza vaccine accepted for review in Europe

GlaxoSmithKline has announced that its new generation H5N1 split antigen pre-pandemic influenza vaccine has been accepted for review by the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) in Europe.

29 Jan 2007

Antiviral resistance and the control of pandemic influenza

Stockpiling large amounts of oseltamivir (Tamiflu) and related antiviral drugs with the intent to treat a large fraction of the population is a key part of pandemic preparedness of many countries.

23 Jan 2007

Novavax's pandemic flu vaccines show promise

Novavax, Inc.'s novel virus-like particle (VLP) vaccines have been shown to be effective in generating protection against pandemic influenza as well as cross protection against different strains of the virus in pre-clinical studies, according to data presented at the Phacilitate Vaccine Forum.

22 Jan 2007

76th H5N1 case confirmed in Indonesia

The Ministry of Health in Indonesia has confirmed an additional two cases of human infection with the H5N1 avian influenza virus.

9 Jan 2007

FDA approves MedImmune's new refrigerated formulation of FluMist influenza virus vaccine

MedImmune has announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the company's new refrigerated formulation of FluMist (Influenza Virus Vaccine Live, Intranasal) for use in helping to prevent influenza in healthy children and adults from 5 years to 49 years of age.

8 Jan 2007