Influenza News and Research

Latest Influenza News and Research

Study assesses healthcare workers' exposures to airborne influenza virus

In United States, more than 18 million workers are employed in healthcare sector. Healthcare workers providing direct patient care services face a wide range of hazards including exposures to infectious diseases.

5 Mar 2018

FDA reminds consumers to be wary of unapproved flu products

As part of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's ongoing efforts to protect consumers from health fraud, the agency is reminding consumers to be wary of unapproved products claiming to prevent, treat or cure influenza, or flu.

5 Mar 2018

Extra sunlight in late summer could help reduce severity of flu season

People getting more rays of sunlight - and therefore vitamin D - in August and September could help reduce the severity of flu season, according to a National Bureau of Economic Research working paper co-authored by a University of Kansas economist.

2 Mar 2018

Getting influenza vaccine linked to 50% drop in risk of death for heart failure patients

For people with heart failure, getting a seasonal influenza (flu) vaccine in a given year was associated with a 50 percent drop in the risk of death during flu season and a 20 percent drop in the risk of death during the rest of the year, according to research presented at the American College of Cardiology's 67th Annual Scientific Session.

1 Mar 2018

At some California hospitals, fewer than half of workers get the flu shot

How well are doctors, nurses and other workers at your local hospital vaccinated against the flu?

28 Feb 2018

NIAID details new strategic plan for creating safe, effective universal influenza vaccine

Developing a universal influenza vaccine -- a vaccine that can provide durable protection for all age groups against multiple influenza strains, including those that might cause a pandemic -- is a priority for the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health.

28 Feb 2018

Researchers create models that predict spread of flu in the United States

Using several large datasets describing health care visits, geographic movements and demographics of more than 150 million people over nine years, researchers at the University of Chicago have created models that predict the spread of influenza throughout the United States each year.

27 Feb 2018

Adding hope to health messages may help promote preventative actions, researchers say

While fear about health concerns may grip people, adding a little hope to a message might make people more willing to take preventative actions, according to researchers.

23 Feb 2018

First African child vaccinated with new typhoid conjugate vaccine

Today the University of Maryland School of Medicine's Center for Vaccine Development is proud to be part of vaccine history in Africa.

22 Feb 2018

Immune history influences person's response to flu vaccine

New research on why the influenza vaccine was only modestly effective in recent years shows that immune history with the flu influences a person's response to the vaccine.

20 Feb 2018

Loyola Medicine primary care physician offers advice to minimize risk of flu

With widespread flu activity across most of the U.S., avoiding exposure can be difficult, but Loyola Medicine primary care physician Mary Barsanti-Sekhar, MD, offers some advice to minimize the risk.

19 Feb 2018

Researchers develop sensing method for early detection of cancer and diabetes

The use of terahertz waves for biosensing is currently receiving considerable attention. THz waves are able to detect molecular vibrations and rotations, without using labels that can affect the properties of the substances of interest.

19 Feb 2018

Study provides new insights on why healthy children die from flu

With this year's severe flu season, one statistic is especially chilling. Each year, around 50 percent of all children under 5 years old who die from the flu were previously healthy, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

16 Feb 2018

Hand hygiene-intervention practices may reduce risk of infection among nursing home patients

Infection prevention practices centered on hand hygiene protocols can save lives across all healthcare facilities, not just hospital settings.

15 Feb 2018

Flu raises risk of heart attacks

A new study reveals that persons who have been diagnosed with influenza confirmed with laboratory diagnostic tests, are around six times more likely to be admitted for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) or heart attack within a week compared to their risk before they had had the flu.

14 Feb 2018

Kids under two at greater risk of flu related death

Seasonal flu deaths have been studied and it has been seen that since 2009, over the six seasons of flu with the H1N1 strain of the virus, children under 2 years of age are most likely to succumb. Less than one third of these babies that died had received a vaccination against the flu virus.

14 Feb 2018

Far-UVC light may offer solution to eradicating airborne flu viruses

Continuous low doses of far ultraviolet C light can kill airborne flu viruses without harming human tissues, according to a new study at the Center for Radiological Research at Columbia University Irving Medical Center.

9 Feb 2018

Smart thermometer can improve forecasting of influenza activity

A new approach tested by researchers at the University of Iowa shows that de-identified data from a "smart thermometer" connected to a mobile phone app can track flu activity in real time at both population and individual levels and the data can be used to significantly improve flu forecasting.

8 Feb 2018

Special protein improves survival and lung function of mice with influenza, study shows

GM-CSF, a protein that modifies the immune response to the flu, may also help reduce lung inflammation and improve survival during influenza, according to Penn State researchers.

8 Feb 2018

New FluChip-8G technology could aid in pandemic preparedness

InDevR Inc., a Boulder-based analytical technology and life science company, today announced plans to launch a Research Use Only version of their FluChip-8G technology to aid in pandemic preparedness.

6 Feb 2018