Influenza News and Research

Latest Influenza News and Research

Five ways to save 100,000 American lives

A new report says more than 100,000 American lives would be saved each year if people increased the use of five preventive services.

8 Aug 2007

Non-pharmaceutical interventions may be helpful in severe influenza outbreaks

An analysis of non-pharmaceutical interventions used in the U.S. during the 1918-1919 influenza pandemic, such as closing schools and banning public gatherings, found an association between these interventions and reduced death rates, suggesting that non-pharmaceutical interventions may play a role in planning for future influenza pandemics, according to a study in the August 8 issue of JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association.

8 Aug 2007

Study supports value of social restrictions during influenza pandemics

Although physicians have imposed quarantine orders since at least 1374, when the Port of Venice officially isolated foreigners and shippers for 40 days to keep out infectious scourges, there has been no definitive evidence that public health measures like quarantining the sick and isolating people after exposure to ill people would save lives during an influenza pandemic.

8 Aug 2007