Influenza News and Research

Latest Influenza News and Research

Vaccines for preventing influenza in the elderly

Although national and international health organizations urge anyone over age 65 to get yearly flu shots, the vaccinations are only modestly effective in preventing flu and its complications among older adults, according to a new review of recent studies.

19 Jul 2006

Suspect chicken smuggled in from China may have been eaten

Health officials in Michigan in the U.S. are working to track down frozen Chinese poultry smuggled into the United States and found in a warehouse in Oakland County.

13 Jul 2006

Defra invites tenders for avian influenza vaccine

Tenders to supply a further 10 million doses of avian influenza vaccine for potential use in poultry and other captive birds have been welcomed by Defra.

13 Jul 2006

NIAID program aims to model immune responses and key infectious diseases

A new program at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) aims to better understand the complex biochemical networks that regulate the interactions between infectious organisms and the human or animal cells they infect.

12 Jul 2006

Being a whistle-blower in China could mean going to jail

According to Chinese media sources a farmer who reported bird flu outbreaks to the central government has been jailed for three-and-a-half years for fraud and blackmail.

12 Jul 2006

Cardinal Health to manufacture Tamiflu for Roche

Cardinal Health, the leading provider of products and services supporting the health-care industry, has announced that it has signed agreements to manufacture and package Tamiflu for Roche to help meet current and future demand for the influenza medicine.

10 Jul 2006

Bird flu still expanding in Africa - disease widely checked in Europe but could pose threat for years

While avian influenza has been successfully checked in Western Europe and much of Southeast Asia apart from Indonesia, it is still expanding in Africa and will remain a threat for years to come

10 Jul 2006

Study supports routine vaccination of children against flu

According to a new study childhood influenza is much more common in the USA than previously thought and more often than not doctors often fail to diagnose it in young children.

6 Jul 2006

Indonesia confirms 52nd human case of bird flu

The Ministry of Health in Indonesia has confirmed the country's 52nd case of human infection with the H5N1 avian influenza virus.

4 Jul 2006

Indonesia struggling to cope as death toll from bird flu reaches 40

The World Health Organisation has confirmed the death of an Indonesian boy last month was from bird flu.

3 Jul 2006

Where bird flu began is a Chinese puzzle

A surprising revelation by a group of Chinese researchers has led to a formal request from the World Health Organization (WHO) for a meeting with officials of the Chinese Ministry of Health.

26 Jun 2006

China and bird flu - the plot thickens

The plot has thickened when it comes to China and bird flu.

26 Jun 2006

Indonesia admits it can't cope with bird flu

During a three-day meeting of international experts in Jakarta, Indonesia officials have admitted that the country lacks the manpower and money to battle the H5N1 virus following a series of natural disasters.

22 Jun 2006

Indonesia confirms 51st case of human bird flu infection

The Indonesian Ministry of Health has confirmed the country's 51st case of human infection with the H5N1 avian influenza virus.

20 Jun 2006

USDA trains foreign scientists on diagnostic testing for highly pathogenic Avian Influenza

USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Administrator Ron DeHaven today announced the training of 24 scientists from 19 countries on diagnostic testing for highly pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI).

19 Jun 2006

Experts descend on Jakarta to sort out bird flu outbreaks

An international team of experts are meeting in Jakarta this week to assess the avian flu situation in Indonesia.

19 Jun 2006

Bioinformatics used to advance human disease research

The use of computers to advance human disease research - known as bioinformatics -- has received a major boost from researchers at the La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology (LIAI).

18 Jun 2006

China's 19th case of human infection with H5N1 avian influenza virus

The Ministry of Health in China has confirmed the country's 19th case of human infection with the H5N1 avian influenza virus.

18 Jun 2006

USAID announces $5 Million award to track bird flu

USAID announces $5 million award to support the development of a global network to track avian influenza, with the aim of monitoring the role of migratory birds.

13 Jun 2006