Influenza News and Research

Latest Influenza News and Research

Key changes to Adult and Child Immunization schedule for 2020

The new Childhood and Adolescent Immunization Schedule and the Adult Immunization Schedule for 2020 are out, just released by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). This is an annual event following its yearly revision.

5 Feb 2020

Epiglottitis linked to teenager's use of e-cigarettes

A teenage girl with no hint of prior asthma or respiratory illness began to feel hoarseness in her throat and a feeling that she needed to clear her throat frequently.

5 Feb 2020

Unveiling the structure of the influenza virus

The flu season is coming, and the frigid temperatures make it worse. The influenza B virus is the causative agent of the common flu, but over the past years, it has become more potent in causing disease. Now, a team of MIT scientists has found and unveiled the structure of the virus, particularly the key influenza protein, in the hopes to develop new drugs to combat influenza.

4 Feb 2020

Coronavirus could be dangerous for vulnerable populations, says UGA epidemiologist

Wearing a surgical mask is unlikely to protect healthy people from the novel coronavirus that originated in China, and influenza likely poses a much greater threat to Americans, according to José Cordero, professor of epidemiology and biostatistics in the University of Georgia's College of Public Health.

4 Feb 2020

Communicating effectively about coronavirus outbreak can be tricky

Communicating effectively during an outbreak can be tricky for government agencies charged with protecting the public, according to Glen Nowak, former director of media relations at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and professor of advertising and public relations at the University of Georgia's Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication.

4 Feb 2020

China reports H5N1 bird flu in Hunan amid coronavirus crisis

China has reported an outbreak of the H5N1 bird flu in Hunan, which borders the province of Hubei, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus outbreak.

3 Feb 2020

First exposure to influenza virus dictates our lifelong ability to fight flu

Were you born in an H1N1 year or an H3N2 year? The first type of influenza virus we are exposed to in early childhood dictates our ability to fight the flu for the rest of our lives, according to a new study from a team of infectious disease researchers at McMaster University and Université de Montréal.

30 Jan 2020

Rapid weather variability could increase risk of a flu epidemic

New research from a team of Florida State University scientists shows that rapid weather variability as a result of climate change could increase the risk of a flu epidemic in some highly populated regions in the late 21st century.

30 Jan 2020

UMSOM experts call for influenza vaccinations to prevent outbreaks in U.S. border detention centers

Over the past year, at least seven children have died from diseases including influenza while being detained by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Customs and Border Protection agency. Infectious disease experts at the University of Maryland School of Medicine called for protections like influenza vaccinations to prevent serious outbreaks.

30 Jan 2020

FDA issues stern warning to Purell hand sanitizer maker

The U.S. Food and Drug Administrator has issued a strict warning to Purell-maker GOJO Industries, which claims it hand sanitizers can kill pathogens that cause illness in as little as 15 seconds.

29 Jan 2020

Scientists 'knock out' gene in myeloid cells to create listeriosis-immune mice

An international research team which includes specialists from ITMO University has conducted a series of experiments with the goal of studying the immune system and identifying the genes and proteins involved in the response to certain harmful bacteria.

28 Jan 2020

Key insights on how to prevent novel coronavirus

The 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) is a new respiratory virus that was first identified in Wuhan, China.

27 Jan 2020

Coronavirus could turn into a new pandemic

With news that the coronavirus called 2019-nCoV is capable of spreading from human to human, many are concerned about the possibility of a new pandemic, and that is not outside the realm of possibility, according to Jeff Hogan, a professor and infectious disease expert at the University of Georgia, who studied the SARS coronavirus extensively.

24 Jan 2020

Something far deadlier than the Wuhan virus lurks near you

There's a deadly virus spreading from state to state. It preys on the most vulnerable, striking the sick and the old without mercy. In just the past few months, it has claimed the lives of at least 39 children.

24 Jan 2020

Infectious disease expert explains about Wuhan coronavirus

A new coronavirus virus, likely first transmitted to people from animals at a market in the Chinese city of Wuhan, is making international headlines as disease detectives work to uncover what it is, how it's transmitted, and how deadly the virus actually is.

24 Jan 2020

GlobalData: China can use the lessons learnt from SARS epidemic to control Wuhan coronavirus

Following the news that cases of people infected with the Wuhan coronavirus rose to more than 270 laboratory-confirmed cases and the virus may spread from human-to-human.

22 Jan 2020

Fully vaccinated children reduce risk of hospitalization associated with influenza by 54%

Fully vaccinating children reduces the risk of hospitalization associated with influenza by 54%, according to a study by researchers at the University of Michigan, the Clalit Research Institute, and Ben-Gurion University in Israel.

22 Jan 2020

Antiviral compound from banana plants shows potential for clinical use against influenza

What keeps most infectious disease researchers up at night aren't infamous viruses like Ebola. Instead, influenza, commonly known as the flu, continues to be a clear and present danger to humanity.

21 Jan 2020

Fitness tracker devices show potential as predictors of flu outbreaks

Researchers at Scripps Research Translational Institute have found that fitness tracker devices – wearable tracker devices that measure heart rate and sleep duration – are better predictors of real-time flu outbreaks than current surveillance methods.

17 Jan 2020

Important things you need to know about seasonal flu

Seasonal flu is a serious illness causing approximately 200,000 hospitalizations and 36,000 deaths each year. Federal health officials are reporting that the 2019-2020 flu season could be the worst in decades.

13 Jan 2020