Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

Latest Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

Scientists develop universal vaccine targeting multiple coronaviruses

Sugar coatings aren't only for candies; they also help viruses, like the ones that cause COVID-19, hide from their hosts' immune system.

25 Mar 2025

Funding cuts endanger decades of progress in reducing child deaths and stillbirths

The number of children dying globally before their fifth birthday declined to 4.8 million in 2023, while stillbirths declined modestly, still remaining around 1.9 million, according to two new reports released today by the United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME).

25 Mar 2025

Long-term inhaled corticosteroids linked to increased health risks in COPD patients

Inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) are commonly prescribed for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but not recommended as first-line treatment unless patients have asthma/COPD overlap or frequent exacerbations.

24 Mar 2025

UZH researchers develop decoy molecules to restore immune defense

An immune system defect makes affected individuals vulnerable to severe viral diseases such as influenza or COVID-19. It is caused by the body's own antibodies, which inhibit important defense proteins known as type I interferons.

24 Mar 2025

Current, former CDC staff warn against slashing support to local public health departments

On a sunny weekday in Atlanta, a small crowd of people gathered for a rally outside of a labor union headquarters building.

24 Mar 2025

How your diet and probiotics can improve vaccine effectiveness

Researchers uncover how probiotics and diet shape the gut microbiome to boost vaccine efficacy, offering new avenues for precision immunization.

23 Mar 2025

Women with urinary incontinence can avoid invasive bladder pressure tests

Women with ongoing urinary incontinence could avoid invasive bladder pressure tests, as new research shows that a range of non-invasive assessments work just as well in guiding treatment.

22 Mar 2025

Registration Now Open for World Vaccine Congress Washington 2025: Leading Experts from Government, WHO, CEPI, and more to Speak

Register for the World Vaccine Congress 2025, the premier event for vaccine experts and leaders, driving innovations in public health and pandemic preparedness.

From World Vaccine Congress Washington 21 Mar 2025

Study reveals factors affecting patient experience in emergency departments

A large scale study by researchers from the Regenstrief Institute and the Indiana University School of Medicine has found that patient pain upon arrival to the Emergency Department (ED) as well as the use of hallway beds and radiology studies in the ED are associated with patient experience, although not in the same ways.

20 Mar 2025

High-fat diet impairs neutrophil function in obesity

A new study in The Journal of Immunology reveals how a high-fat diet may impair the immune system's ability to respond to infection by impacting the function of neutrophils, one of the first immune cells to respond to bacteria or viruses.

20 Mar 2025

KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Federal health work in flux

Two months into the new administration, federal workers and contractors remain off-balance as the Trump administration ramps up its efforts to cancel jobs and programs — even as federal judges declare many of those efforts illegal and/or unconstitutional.

20 Mar 2025

Smartwatch data provides key insights into persistent COVID symptoms

Between April 2020 and December 2022, over 535,000 people in Germany downloaded and activated the Corona Data Donation App (CDA).

20 Mar 2025

A global movement to address the health impacts of air pollution

In an unprecedented show of unity, more than 47 million health professionals, patients, advocates, representatives from civil society organizations, and individuals worldwide have signed a resounding call for urgent action to reduce air pollution and to protect people's health from its devastating impacts.

18 Mar 2025

Keto controversy? Experts say it’s here to stay

Low-carb and ketogenic diets offer sustainable solutions for chronic disease, enhancing metabolic health and supporting weight loss through dietary changes.

18 Mar 2025

Current antivirals not successful in treating severe H5N1 bird flu infections

As the H5N1 avian influenza outbreak continues, scientists are working to better understand the virus's threat to human health.

17 Mar 2025

Dry air exposure linked to dehydration and inflammation in human airways

In a recent, cross-institutional study partially funded by the National Institutes of Health, researchers report that healthy human airways are at higher risk for dehydration and inflammation when exposed to dry air, an occurrence expected to increase due to global warming.

17 Mar 2025

Uncertainty increases pain perception in the brain

When we accidentally touch something familiar, like a warm pan, our brains already know what feeling to expect and how much it might hurt.

17 Mar 2025

Scientists say NIH officials told them to scrub mRNA references on grants

National Institutes of Health officials have urged scientists to remove all references to mRNA vaccine technology from their grant applications, two researchers said, in a move that signaled the agency might abandon a promising field of medical research.

17 Mar 2025

U.S. consumers still unaware of raw milk risks despite bird flu findings

Although the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) located H5N1 bird flu virus in samples of raw, or unpasteurized, milk in tests in four states in April 2024, and bird flu has been detected in commercially sold raw milk, many Americans do not know that consuming raw milk and its products poses greater health risks than consuming pasteurized milk and its products, especially for children.

14 Mar 2025

Advances in organ preservation techniques and future prospects

A review article published in Engineering delves into the crucial field of organ preservation, exploring its history, current techniques, and future prospects.

14 Mar 2025