Influenza News and Research

Latest Influenza News and Research

Lab-on-chip can detect bird flu in humans

European microchip maker STMicroelectronics is planning to market a disposable laboratory microchip that can confirm within about an hour a human case of bird flu.

18 Jan 2006

Experts demand more funds to stop the spread of bird flu

At a meeting in Beijing to whip up funds for the global fight against bird flu, the European Union has raised its contribution to the fund by $20 million taking their total commitment to $120 million, but other contributions appear to be thin on the ground.

18 Jan 2006

Preparing for bird flu

When a new strain of flu infects people, the infection can spread around the world quickly. This is what could potentially happen with some new human flu viruses that come from bird flu viruses.

18 Jan 2006

EU pumps $120 million into fight against bird flu

The European Union has promised to increase it's budget in the fight against bird flu to 100 million euros ($120.9 million), the figure includes an extra 20 million euros for research funds into avian and pandemic influenza.

17 Jan 2006

More deaths in Turkey and Indonesia from bird flu

The World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed Turkish health officials tests that show a fourth person, a young girl, has died from the H5N1 virus.

17 Jan 2006

Systemic spread of avian influenza virus in cats

Researchers at Erasmus Medical Center have demonstrated systemic spread of avian influenza virus in cats infected by respiratory, digestive, and cat-to-cat contact.

16 Jan 2006

US warns older flu drugs often don't work

Health authorities in the U.S. are advising doctors to stop using two drugs to treat this winters influenza because it has become evident that the most common strain has become resistant to the drugs and they are unlikely to work.

16 Jan 2006

Centrally coordinated control campaign crucial to battle bird flu

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) warned today that the highly pathogenic Avian Influenza virus H5N1 could become endemic in Turkey and poses a serious risk to neighbouring countries.

11 Jan 2006

European Medicines Agency receives first pandemic influenza vaccine application

The European Medicines Agency has received the first application for a pandemic influenza vaccine, submitted by GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals.

10 Jan 2006

Molecular finding will help better understand measles and mumps

A team of Northwestern University researchers has solved the structure of a molecule that controls the ability of viruses of the paramyxovirus family, including the viruses that cause measles, mumps, and many human respiratory diseases, to fuse with and infect human cells.

5 Jan 2006

MIT offer logitics solution to Flu vaccine shortages

Although the flu causes tens of thousands of deaths each year in the United States, vaccine to fight the illness is often in short supply when the flu season is at its peak.

30 Dec 2005

Effectiveness of Influenza vaccine on elderly substantially overestimated

Studies of influenza vaccine effectiveness in elderly people substantially overestimate vaccine benefits, according to new research from the US published today in the International Journal of Epidemiology (IJE), edited at the University of Bristol.

21 Dec 2005

New rapid test can identify bird flu in 15 mins

The diagnostic test maker Inverness Medical Technology Inc. says its Binax Inc. unit has been granted U.S. regulatory approval to add a bird flu claim to a rapid flu test.

19 Dec 2005

Japanese brewery claims antibody works against bird flu

A Japanese brewery says its U.S. subsidiary has developed an antibody that may be effective against bird flu.

19 Dec 2005

Flu kills more U.S. children than chicken pox, whooping cough, and measles combined

A new study has shown that flu killed more U.S. children than chicken pox, whooping cough, and measles combined in the 2003-2004 flu season.

19 Dec 2005

Sanofi's human bird flu vaccine tests looking good

French drug company Sanofi Pasteur says early stage trials of an experimental vaccine against H5N1 bird flu have shown it provides a good immune response in humans and is safe.

19 Dec 2005

Rockeby Biomed ships first batch of Avian Flu Test kits

Rockeby Biomed has announced that the first batch of its Avian Flu Test kits was sold early this month and shipped to Singapore, North Korea, South Korea, Japan, Romania, Austria, South Africa, Netherlands and UK. The second shipment will be distributed before Christmas.

15 Dec 2005

Community Based Assessment Centres - roles and functions in a flu pandemic

The expected roles and functions of Community Based Assessment Centres (CBACs) in the event of an influenza pandemic have been outlined by the New Zealand Ministry of Health, in a draft document sent to District Health Boards for comment and to assist with local planning.

15 Dec 2005

Scientists working to protect us against avian and pandemic flu

The expression 'prevention is better than a cure' is a truism when it comes to vaccine research. European scientists in various EU-funded projects are hard at work developing new vaccines, treatments and diagnostic tools against some of the deadliest and most virulent viruses, including strains of avian flu.

15 Dec 2005

Companies warned about shonky bird flu remedies

The appearance of so-called bird flu remedies which have hit the market in the U.S. have prompted the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to issue warnings to nine companies.

14 Dec 2005