Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

Latest Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

Health Protection Agency publishes report on the benefits of vaccination to children's health

The Health Protection Agency today publishes its first national report on the current status of the UK’s universal vaccine programmes, which protect children against a range of childhood diseases including measles, mumps, rubella and meningitis.

23 May 2005

WHO says world must prepare for bird flu pandemic

Reports of disturbing changes to the H5N1 virus circulating in Asia is causing great concern and has prompted the World Health Organization (WHO) to urge countries to prepare for a influenza pandemic.

22 May 2005

People with chronic cough are often depressed

More than half of people with chronic cough-a nagging cough that can last for months or even years-suffer from depressive symptoms, according to a study to be presented at the American Thoracic Society International Conference on May 23.

22 May 2005

Dextromethorphan temporarily reduces the intensity of fibromyalgia

Dextromethorphan, an over-the-counter medication that silences coughs, may help fibromyalgia patients quiet over-reacting nerves that amplify ordinary touches into agony.

20 May 2005

Physiotherapy is effective in treating stress incontinence

Physiotherapy is effective in treating stress incontinence in about 80 per cent of cases, according to the first national study undertaken in clinical practice by researchers at the University of South Australia.

20 May 2005

WHO warns of threat of bird flu pandemic

A Vietnamese study which has shown that there are signs of greater human to human transmission of bird flu, has prompted the UN health agency to call on countries around the world to continue with their preparations for a threatened flu pandemic.

20 May 2005

Bird flu pandemic a real possibilty

According to the the World Health Organization (WHO), the pattern of human bird flu infections in Vietnam suggests the H5N1 virus that causes the illness is evolving in ways that makes it more contagious.

18 May 2005

Fourth case of hantavirus in Alberta raises concern

An outbreak of hantavirus in Alberta, Canada, is caucing concern and Health authorities there are asking for help from Health Canada to deal with the potentially fatal disease.

18 May 2005

Nutritional composition of a mother’s breast milk may depend not just on her diet - but on her genes

“It is well known that genes control the nutrient levels in cow’s milk” said Richard B. Weinberg, M.D. “But until now, no one has considered how genes might affect human breast milk. This is the first study to demonstrate a genetic effect on human lactation.” The results were presented today at Digestive Disease Week 2005 in Chicago, Ill.

18 May 2005

World Health Assembly hears warning on avian influenza threat

The 58th World Health Assembly heard a warning from Dr. LEE Jong-wook, Director-General of the World Health Organization, on what he called the "most serious known health threat the world is facing today, which is avian influenza."

18 May 2005

Rifaximin is effective in preventing attacks of diarrhea

An antibiotic can be safely used to prevent attacks of diarrhea that plague millions of globe-trotting vacationers and business travelers, a Houston research team reports this week in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

17 May 2005

Association between maternal exposure to toxoplasmosis and increased risk for developing schizophrenia

Toxoplasmosis is a parasitic infection that can develop from eating undercooked meat and unwashed fruits and vegetables, drinking contaminated water, or not washing one's hands after gardening or changing cat litter boxes. Researchers found a potential link between high maternal toxoplasmosis gondii antibody titers and development of schizophrenia spectrum disorders in the adult offspring.

16 May 2005

Survival rates higher for children receiving living donor liver transplant

Children who undergo liver transplantation have better survival rates with living donor liver transplant graft than with deceased donor organ transplant, although factors other than the type of graft also are important, according to a study in the May issue of Archives of Surgery.

16 May 2005

Distributing medications in specially designed blister packages rather than in bottles may increase the likelihood that medications will be taken properly

The study found that patients taking lisinopril – a medication used to treat chronic high blood pressure – were more likely to have their prescriptions refilled on time if the medication came in a blister package rather than as loose tablets in a bottle. In this case, the blister package clearly started the day on which to take each pill.

16 May 2005

Genetic biomarker that may improve quality of life during treatment for colorectal cancer

A Mayo Clinic-led study has revealed a genetic biomarker that can predict which patients are most likely to experience unwanted side effects from one of the most commonly used and highly effective chemotherapy regimens designed to treat colorectal cancer.

16 May 2005

Vaccine candidate to treat nicotine addiction shows promise

Cytos Biotechnology AG has announced that its vaccine candidate CYT002-NicQb to treat nicotine addiction has achieved proof of efficacy.

16 May 2005

Brains of one species of mouse actually shrink during the winter

The brains of one species of mouse actually shrink during the winter, causing the mice to have more difficulty with some types of learning, a new study found.

15 May 2005

Annual flu shots to be recommended for everyone in the U.S.

Public health advocates in the U.S. are predicting that within five years, annual flu shots will be recommended by the government for every American and not just young children, the elderly and other at-risk people.

15 May 2005

Alcohol consumption increases movement of S. pneumoniae toward the lungs

Streptococcus pneumoniae is a bacterium that can infect the upper respiratory tract and cause pneumonia, as well as infections in other parts of the body such as the bloodstream (bacteremia), lining of the brain and spinal cord (meningitis), bones (osteomyelitis), joints (arthritis), ears (otitis media) and sinuses (sinusitis).

15 May 2005

Humans more prone to cancer than chimpanzees

Chimpanzees and humans share a common ancestor, and even today 99 percent of the two species' DNA is identical. But since the paths of man and chimp diverged 5 million years ago, that one percent of genetic difference appears to have changed humans in an unexpected way: It could have made people more prone to cancer.

15 May 2005