Influenza News and Research

Latest Influenza News and Research

New drug discovery shows promise in fighting acute respiratory illnesses

A collaboration between the University of Toronto's Faculty of Dentistry and the National Jewish Health in Denver -- the top-ranked respiratory research hospital in the U.S. -- has yielded a new drug discovery that could be useful to combat inflammation of all varieties and shows promise in fighting acute respiratory illnesses such as COVID-19.

2 Jul 2020

Controlled human infection models as a strategy to accelerate SARS-CoV-2 vaccine development

Infecting some volunteers with COVID-19 may provide valuable insights for future rounds of vaccine testing, but would require very strict controls, argues a group of infectious disease experts in the New England Journal of Medicine.

2 Jul 2020

Newer form of SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus dominates global infections

Research out today in the journal Cell shows that a specific change in the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus virus genome, previously associated with increased viral transmission and the spread of COVID-19, is more infectious in cell culture.

2 Jul 2020

Which facemasks work best at stopping coronavirus?

A new study shows how wearing masks can prevent the spread of droplet borne infections and is an excellent preventive measure to stop the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. The study titled, "Visualizing the effectiveness of face masks in obstructing respiratory jets," is published in the latest issue of the journal Physics of Fluids.

1 Jul 2020

UMass Amherst biostatistician awarded federal grants to support research on pandemic forecasting

University of Massachusetts Amherst biostatistician Nicholas Reich has been awarded grants from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to support innovation and expansion in his groundbreaking pandemic forecasting work.

1 Jul 2020

New swine flu strain with pandemic potential found in China

As the world grapples with a novel coronavirus pandemic, a new strain of swine flu that can trigger a pandemic has been reported.

30 Jun 2020

Striking CryoEM image of SARS-CoV-2

A new study by researchers from the UK and Germany and published on the preprint server bioRxiv in June 2020 reports the results of a detailed study of the S protein on the intact virus, using cryoelectron microscopy (cryoEM) and tomography. This could help understand the conformation of the S protein on the virion and how it interacts with neutralizing antibodies.

30 Jun 2020

Essential worker shoulders $1,840 pandemic debt due to COVID cost loophole

Carmen Quintero works an early shift as a supervisor at a 3M distribution warehouse that ships N95 masks to a nation under siege from the coronavirus. On March 23, she had developed a severe cough, and her voice, usually quick and enthusiastic, was barely a whisper.

30 Jun 2020

Salk Institute expands research to find treatments and cures for COVID-19

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues across the globe, the Salk Institute joins in efforts to understand the fundamental science behind the novel coronavirus to pave the way to treatments and cures.

30 Jun 2020

China imposes lockdowns as new coronavirus cases surge

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic first emerged in a seafood market in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China, in December 2019. Since then, it has spread to 188 countries and territories and infected more than 10 million people. The viral infection has so far killed more than 500,000 people worldwide.

29 Jun 2020

WHO says worst is yet to come as COVID-19 pandemic speeds up

The true number of global infections and deaths, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is likely to be significantly higher due to lack of testing. Some people are also asymptomatic, which means they had no symptoms of the illness.

29 Jun 2020

Clinically approved drugs could disrupt SARS-CoV-2 from hijacking cells

An international team of researchers has analyzed how SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, hijacks the proteins in its target cells.

29 Jun 2020

Sanford Burnham Prebys announces research agreement with Lilly to identify COVID-19 antibodies

Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute today announced a research agreement with Eli Lilly and Company (Lilly) to characterize Lilly's next-generation anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies.

29 Jun 2020

Virus re-emergence after lockdown ends

A new report in the journal Nature Human Behaviour in June 2020 reports predictions as to the effects of removing lockdown restrictions on the transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and suggests that individual responsibility concerning social distancing and other precautions could avoid the need for lockdowns.

28 Jun 2020

Montana State researcher helps develop a better understanding of COVID-19 spread

How many people in the U.S. have had COVID-19? Using a database of information collected after the 2009 H1N1 outbreak, a Montana State University researcher is helping develop a better understanding of the spread of the novel coronavirus.

26 Jun 2020

Novel sensor may be able to test for COVID-19 and influenza simultaneously

The novel coronavirus has been compared to the flu almost from the moment it emerged in late 2019. They share a variety of symptoms, and in many cases, an influenza test is part of the process for diagnosing COVID-19.

25 Jun 2020

Far-UVC light can efficiently and safely kill airborne coronaviruses

More than 99.9% of seasonal coronaviruses present in airborne droplets were killed when exposed to a particular wavelength of ultraviolet light that is safe to use around humans, a new study at Columbia University Irving Medical Center has found.

24 Jun 2020

USA riddled with SARS-CoV-2 - 80% undetected

The coronavirus pandemic is actively spreading across the globe, affecting 188 countries and territories. The United States remains the country with the highest number of infections. The official tally reveals that the U.S. has more than 2.347 million people infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

24 Jun 2020

Study highlights the challenges involved in designing universal flu vaccine

Some common strains of influenza have the potential to mutate to evade broad-acting antibodies that could be elicited by a universal flu vaccine, according to a study led by scientists at Scripps Research.

23 Jun 2020

COVID-19 mortality higher in Spring in the USA

Now, a new study by researchers at the University of Louisville and Babson College and published on the preprint server medRxiv in June 2020 describes the increased risk of COVID-19 deaths in spring, in the USA.

23 Jun 2020