Cold, Flu & Cough

What is the Common Cold?

The common cold, also known as rhinopharyngitis, is a type of respiratory tract infection caused by a virus.

Walking Pneumonia Versus Common Cold

Does the 'Stomach Flu' Vaccine Prevent Type I Diabetes?

Risk Factors and Walking Pneumonia Prevention

Influenza Infection in Animals

Latest Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

New mRNA vaccine strategy dramatically amplifies cancer-fighting T cells

Engineers from the University of Houston, MIT and Harvard have developed a new mRNA-based strategy that dramatically amplifies the T-cell response to vaccines - an advance that could lead to far more powerful cancer vaccines and stronger protection against infectious diseases.

19 May 2026

Private equity hospital acquisitions linked to worse pulmonary patient outcomes

A large new study presented at the 2026 ATS International Conference shows that patients treated for COPD or pneumonia experience worse outcomes across several important measures when they are treated at hospitals that have been acquired by private equity firms.

19 May 2026

New skin patch could replace bulky polygraphs and sleep monitors

A novel wireless chest patch enables continuous monitoring of stress signals, enhancing psychophysiological assessment in clinical and real-world settings.

19 May 2026

Researchers discover water's role in brain learning and memory signaling

How do we learn to remember? At the most fundamental level, it's all about chemicals and electricity. Beyond their roles in diet and nutrition, calcium and magnesium work as ions, or charged particles, in the brain.

19 May 2026

How antibody-drug conjugates are redefining targeted cancer therapy

Antibody-drug conjugates are rapidly expanding cancer therapies, with 19 approved globally and many more in development, but their success depends on better targets, payloads, linkers, dosing, and patient selection. The Cell review shows that next-generation ADCs could widen treatment options, but safety, resistance, tumor heterogeneity, and clinical translation remain major barriers.

19 May 2026

Azithromycin fails to improve severe wheezing in preschool children

A study led by researchers at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson showed that giving the antibiotic azithromycin did not help preschool children seen in the hospital emergency room with bouts of severe wheezing.

18 May 2026

Health experts outline symptoms and risks of shipboard hantavirus

It's one of the cruisegoer's biggest fears: a contagious disease outbreak at sea.

18 May 2026

GLP-1 weight loss medications linked to significant drop in asthma flares

New research presented at this year's European Congress on Obesity in Istanbul, Turkey (12-15 May) shows the use of the new GLP-1 class of obesity drugs in people with asthma is associated with a 26 % fall in the number of asthma exacerbations and a 14% drop in use of asthma inhaler reliever use. The study is by Simon Høj and Dr Kjell Erik Julius Håkansson, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark and colleagues.

15 May 2026

Researchers develop pH and redox-sensitive systems to reduce immunotherapy toxicity

Although cancer immunotherapy has transformed treatment by harnessing the immune system to eliminate tumors, only a small subset of patients benefit. Many solid tumors remain "cold," characterized by poor immune cell infiltration and resistance to immune checkpoint blockade (ICB).

15 May 2026

Identifying the methodology gap that prevents treatment of infection-triggered chronic diseases

Thousands of Americans develop chronic persistent symptoms-such as fatigue, cognitive difficulties ("brain fog"), and other debilitating issues-each year following acute infections from Lyme disease, COVID-19, and other pathogens. Efforts to identify causes and produce treatments have failed. However, 16 leading researchers think they know part of the problem: study design.

14 May 2026

New research maps the biological toll of drinking

A new review published in the journal Addiction confirms drinking causes substantial harm to health. Some of those harms may be reversible if the person reduces or stops drinking.

14 May 2026

Turning the flu virus into a powerful tool to fight cancer

A recent Views & Comments article published in Engineering highlights advances in repurposing influenza viruses as flexible therapeutic platforms for infectious diseases and cancer, driven by progress in reverse genetics and viral vector engineering.

14 May 2026

Wearable wireless polygraph tracks hidden stress signals

Northwestern University engineers have developed a small, wireless polygraph system you can wear.

13 May 2026

Experts urge WHO to strengthen airborne virus precautionary measures

With three people dead and 11 cases from the recent hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship, UMD's internationally renowned expert on airborne viruses, Dr. Don Milton, joins public health colleagues in an opinion piece in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) calling on the World Health Organization (WHO) to shift its default response to emerging respiratory viruses.

13 May 2026