Influenza News and Research

Latest Influenza News and Research

A shingles vaccine may delay dementia onset

Research indicates the herpes zoster vaccine may reduce dementia rates by 2%, highlighting its potential role in promoting brain health in aging populations.

28 Jan 2026

Survey shows growing public familiarity with RSV vaccines and antibody injections

Amid a surprisingly severe flu season and a Covid-19 resurgence, those highly contagious respiratory illnesses are drawing the largest share of media coverage and public attention.

21 Jan 2026

High-dose flu shots lower hospitalization risk in older adults

High-dose influenza vaccines may lower serious hospitalization rates in older adults, particularly those with diabetes, according to a recent Danish trial.

20 Jan 2026

Shingles vaccination may slow biological aging in older adults

Shingles vaccination not only protects against the disease but may also contribute to slower biological aging in older adults, according to a new USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology study.

20 Jan 2026

Vaccines are helping older people more than we knew

Let's be clear: The primary reason to be vaccinated against shingles is that two shots provide at least 90% protection against a painful, blistering disease that a third of Americans will suffer in their lifetimes, one that can cause lingering nerve pain and other nasty long-term consequences.

14 Jan 2026

Gut bacteria protect mice from deadly secondary pneumonia after influenza

Select gut bacteria protect mice against post-influenza virus secondary bacterial pneumonia, according to a study published by researchers in the Institute for Biomedical Sciences at Georgia State University.

12 Jan 2026

How pandemic viruses spread across U.S. cities before anyone notices

Researchers reconstruct the spatial spread of pandemic respiratory viruses across metropolitan areas throughout the United States

12 Jan 2026

Aptamer-based biosensors could transform viral detection

Rapid and reliable virus detection is one of the most critical tools for controlling outbreaks, from seasonal influenza to global pandemics like COVID-19.

9 Jan 2026

Study investigates the extent of flu transmission by airborne inhalation

This year's flu season is turning out to be brutal. As a new variant known as subclade K spreads rapidly, a study out today offers clues as to how to avoid the annual sickness.

8 Jan 2026

ICSA 2025: Infection's role in cellular senescence, inflammation, and aging

A new meeting report was published in Volume 17, Issue 12 of Aging-US on December 23, 2025, titled "Cellular senescence meets infection: highlights from the 10th annual International Cell Senescence Association (ICSA) conference, Rome 2025."

8 Jan 2026

CRISPR Cas12a3: A precise tool to halt viral protein production

Across all domains of life, immune defenses foil invading viruses by making it impossible for the viruses to replicate. Most known CRISPR systems target invading pathogens' DNA and chop it up to disable and modify genes, heading off infections at the (cellular) pass.

7 Jan 2026

The CDC just sidelined these childhood vaccines. Here’s what they prevent.

The federal government has drastically scaled back the number of recommended childhood immunizations, sidelining six routine vaccines that have safeguarded millions from serious diseases, long-term disability, and death.

6 Jan 2026

Why intuition matters more than facts in flu vaccination decisions

Flu infections are rising sharply across the United States, contributing to at least 81,000 hospitalizations and 3,100 deaths so far this season, according to the U. S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

5 Jan 2026

Bat-borne virus linked to unexplained illnesses in Bangladesh

Infectious disease researchers have identified Pteropine orthoreoviruses (PRVs), a group of newly emergent bat-borne viruses, as the culprit for previously unexplained illness in five Bangladeshi patients, one of whom eventually died with unexplained illness.

5 Jan 2026

Advertisements promising patients a ‘dream body’ with minimal risk get little scrutiny

Lenia Watson-Burton, a 37-year-old U.S. Navy administrator, expected that cosmetic surgery would get rid of stubborn fat quickly and easily — just as the web advertising promised.

1 Jan 2026

New nanoparticle vaccines show promise against multiple deadly filoviruses

Filoviruses get their name from the Latin word "filum," meaning thread-a reference to their long, filamentous shape. This virus family contains some of the most dangerous pathogens known to science, including Ebola, Sudan, Bundibugyo and Marburg viruses.

18 Dec 2025

Flu wave’s hidden cost on people with cystic fibrosis

People with cystic fibrosis (CF) are uniquely vulnerable to the flu wave currently ripping through the UK, a clinical researcher from The University of Manchester has warned.

18 Dec 2025

Baloxavir reduces flu-related hospitalizations more than oseltamivir

A study reveals baloxavir outperforms oseltamivir in reducing hospitalization rates for influenza, highlighting its clinical advantages in outpatient settings.

17 Dec 2025

Researchers develop nasal antiviral platform using AI technology to block flu and COVID-19

Respiratory viruses that have diverse strains and mutate rapidly, such as influenza and COVID-19, are difficult to block perfectly with vaccines alone.

15 Dec 2025

Virus shells use asymmetry to control RNA release and infection

Viruses are typically described as tiny, perfectly geometric shells that pack genetic material with mathematical precision, but new research led by scientists at Penn State reveals a deliberate imbalance in their shape that helps them infect their hosts.

12 Dec 2025