Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

Latest Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

Transmission of MRSA and Clostridium difficile through dogs

In a letter to the Editor of the Journal of Hospital Infection, published by Elsevier, S. Lefebvre and J.S. Weese from the University of Guelph in Canada describe a study that investigated whether MRSA and C.difficile could be passed between pet therapy dogs and patients.

7 May 2009

Pandemic influenza preparedness in Latin America: analysis of national strategic plans, health policy and planning

An analysis of pandemic preparedness plans from Latin American countries has indicated that although most now have national strategic plans in place, it is the wealthiest countries that tend to have the most complete plans.

7 May 2009

Pioneering new tests and treatments for tackling airways disease highlighted

Pioneering new tests and treatments developed in Leicester for people with conditions like asthma and chronic cough are to be presented at a public event at the University of Leicester.

7 May 2009

FDA licenses Sanofi Pasteur's new flu vaccine manufacturing facility

Sanofi Pasteur announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has licensed its new influenza vaccine manufacturing facility.

7 May 2009

Wistar Institute obtains U.S. patent for a novel synthetic vaccine technology

The Wistar Institute today obtained a U.S. patent for a novel synthetic vaccine technology with the potential for further development into a universal flu vaccine which could eliminate the need for annual flu shots and protect against future flu pandemics.

6 May 2009

Children vulnerable to toxic effects of camphor-containing products

Inappropriate use of camphor-containing products may be a common and underappreciated cause of seizures in young children, according to a new study by researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University.

6 May 2009

FDA approves new flu vaccine production facility

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today announced that it has approved a new manufacturing facility used to produce influenza virus vaccines. The facility is approved for seasonal influenza vaccine production and could be used for the production of vaccine against the new 2009 H1N1 influenza strain.

6 May 2009

Swine flu: Action and response from the Cochrane Library

Fears about Swine Flu and notions of the best methods of preventing the spread are sweeping over the world like wild fire, with everyone voicing a different opinion. Is stocking Tamiflu the best option? Do facemasks work? Should we be constantly washing our hands, or never leaving the house?

6 May 2009

New influenza A (H1N1) having powerful impact on us

The new influenza A (H1N1), known as the swine flu, demonstrates the power of people's perceptions of risk. Sales of face masks are breaking all records not only in Mexico but also in Sweden. Hotel guests are being isolated at a hotel in Hong Kong, and people with the sniffles are being isolated in airports around the world. But before the outbreak of the flu, this was a risk that extremely few Swedes perceived as a serious threat to themselves.

6 May 2009

Dengue fever may be more of a worry to Australians than swine flu

For the last week or so much of the world's media has been gripped by the new influenza A H1N1 (swine flu) virus which has dominated the headlines everywhere.

6 May 2009

Panic buying of flu drug results in rationing

Even though Australia is yet to have had any confirmed cases of influenza A H1N1 (swine flu) there has been such a demand for the anti-viral drug Tamiflu that the drug must now be rationed - it is reported that in the last week 120,000 courses of Tamiflu were sold, compared with about 10,000 courses in a normal flu season and many chemists have run out.

6 May 2009

A vaccine for swine flu will depend on what happens next

The World Health Organisation (WHO) says as of the 5th of May 2009, 21 countries have now officially reported 1,490 cases of influenza A (H1N1) infection (swine flu).

6 May 2009

Swine flu fear now a pandemic

The number of confirmed cases of Swine Flu Fear (SFF) in the United States may have surpassed 100 million amid increasing global anxiety over a menace that authorities around the world are struggling to contain. The increase is not surprising. SFF is highly contagious, and even a brief exposure to someone afflicted can produce the condition.

6 May 2009

Mushrooms may boost the body's natural immune system

The potential for mushrooms to fight influenza is being examined following United States research suggesting the body's natural immune response against viral infections and tumours is boosted through the consumption of white button mushrooms.

6 May 2009

IBM and University of Texas Medical Branch launch effort to find flu drug treatments

IBM and the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) launched an effort using IBM's World Community Grid "virtual supercomputer" to allow laboratory tests on drug candidates for drug-resistant influenza strains and new strains, such as H1N1, in less than a month.

6 May 2009

AP/Miami Herald examines potential use of H1N1 vaccine

A strain-specific vaccine for the H1N1 flu virus, also known as the swine flu, that potentially could be developed by researchers might not be as beneficial as some might hope because uninsured U.S. residents are unlikely to purchase the vaccine, the AP/Miami Herald reports.

5 May 2009

Senate HELP Committee moves up FDA Commissioner-Designate Hamburg's confirmation hearing due to H1N1 outbreak

The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee has moved to Thursday the confirmation hearing for Margaret Hamburg, President Obama's pick for FDA commissioner, citing the need to address the H1N1 influenza outbreak, the Wall Street Journal reports.

5 May 2009

HIV-positive people worldwide at increased risk of the H1N1 flu

HIV-positive people worldwide are at an increased risk of the H1N1 flu strain, the World Health Organization said on Saturday in guidelines for health workers published on its Web site, Reuters India reports.

5 May 2009

Even mildly premature infants have increased risk of medically attended respiratory syncytial virus infection

Even mildly premature infants (gestational ages of 33 weeks through 36 weeks) have an increased risk of medically attended respiratory syncytial virus infection, which is the leading cause of lower respiratory tract infection in infants and young children and can lead to pneumonia in babies, according to a Kaiser Permanente Division of Research study.

5 May 2009

Unique electronic strategy alerts physicians to latest clinical information on H1N1 flu

History was made at 2:30 p.m. (EDT) on Wednesday, April 29, when more than 3,000 physicians in Indianapolis were sent a broadcast alert on swine flu (H1N1 virus) from the Marion County Health Department. The message was of critical importance to patient care; history was made in the way it was transmitted and received.

5 May 2009