Breaking News: Influenza

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A Kansas State University veterinarian explains what pet owners need to know about canine influenza and how they can protect their pet.

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Findings by a Saint Louis University researcher parallel earlier results: Adding a strain of influenza B could improve effectiveness of an influenza vaccine.

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Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have analyzed a key protein from two influenza strains that recently began causing sporadic infections among people in China and Taiwan. The analyses suggest the flu viruses have not acquired changes allowing them to infect people easily.

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A doctor’s recommendation and a patient’s race may influence flu vaccination rates, according to researchers at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. Researchers found that 90 percent of patients received vaccination if their physician advocated for it compared to 58 percent of patients whose physician did not.

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Antibodies that protect against H7N9 avian flu, which emerged in China in 2013 and sparked fears of a global pandemic, have been isolated in individuals who received seasonal flu vaccinations and appear to broadly neutralize H7 viruses.

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As flu season continues, Virginia Tech professor Linsey Marr is studying how the disease is transmitted through the air, in hopes that her results will lead to new strategies to fight the flu.

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Combining experimental data from X-ray crystallography, NMR spectroscopy, cryoelectron microscopy and lipidomics, researchers have built a complete model of the outer envelope of an influenza A virion for the first time. The approach, known as a coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulation, has allowed them to generate trajectories at different temperatures and lipid compositions – revealing various characteristics that may help scientists better understand how the virus survives in the wild or find new ways to combat it.

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Having a team in the Super Bowl correlated to an average 18 percent increase in flu deaths among those over 65 years old, according to a study of health data covering 35 years of championship games.

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Earlier this month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended the use of antiviral drugs to help treat influenza, in a year when the available vaccine is not a good match for the current strain.

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UC San Diego researchers say they can predict the spread of flu a week into the future with as much accuracy as Google Flu Trends can display levels of infection right now.

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Researchers show that when comparing the potency of an isolated strain-specific flu antibody (the type that current vaccines generate) with an isolated broadly-neutralizing flu antibody (the type generated by universal vaccines) in a lab setting, the latter have much weaker neutralization activity than the strain-specific antibodies.

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Sepsis can be a dangerous complication of almost any type of infection, including influenza, pneumonia and food poisoning; urinary tract infections; bloodstream infections from wounds; and abdominal infections. Steve Peters, M.D., a pulmonary and critical care physician at Mayo Clinic and senior author of a recent sepsis overview in the medical journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings, explains sepsis symptoms and risk factors, the difference between severe sepsis and septic shock, and how sepsis is typically treated:

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he Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports that flu activity is “high” or “widespread” in 43 states and call it an epidemic this season. Most of the cases are caused by the H3N2 strain. “Nearly one-third of circulating H3N2 virus match the strain found in the current vaccine, meaning the vaccine is doing its job,” says Parada. “One hundred percent of the H1N1 circulating strain matches that in the current vaccine, earning a touchdown or a bull’s eye for those keeping score.” However, to date, only a small portion of the flu cases reported to date have been identified as H1N1.

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In early December, the Center of Disease Control officials warned that the year's flu season could result in more fatalities than in other years. CDC Director Tom Frieden noted that the dominant flu strain circulating this season, H3N2, tends to lead to a greater number of hospitalizations and fatalities than other strains. About half of the flu samples tested in the early stages of this year's flu season were a new H3 subtype of the virus that this year's vaccine is not well prepared to fight.

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Colder temperatures and less humidity helps the flu virus spread easier among people; so if this winter proves to be a bitter one, it will be especially important to protect yourself.

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An international research team has shown how changes in a flu virus that has plagued Chinese poultry farms for decades helped create the novel avian H7N9 influenza A virus that has sickened more than 375 people since 2013. The research appears in the current online early edition of the scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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Children's Hospital Los Angeles infectious diseases specialist Pia Pannaraj, MD, discusses the importance of getting an annual flu vaccine and why opting out should not be an option.

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The CDC's announcement that this year’s flu vaccine isn’t a good “match” for circulating viruses should ring some bells (the warning kind) this holiday season. A Rowan University Family Medicine physician provides tips on avoiding the 'gift' no one wants to get.

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Despite the recent reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that the flu vaccine is not effective against certain active strains, Jorge Parada, MD, infectious disease specialist at Loyola University Health System urges everyone to still get vaccinated. “If you have not gotten your flu shot, get it as soon as possible,” he says. “There are many varieties of flu and the flu vaccine still offers protection.”

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Mathematical models predicted it, and now a University of Florida study confirms it: Immunizing school-aged children from flu can protect other segments of the population, as well.

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The flu, or seasonal influenza virus, is extremely unpredictable. Its severity can vary widely from one season to the next depending on many things, including the strains of flu spreading, availability of vaccines, how many people get vaccinated and how well the flu vaccine is matched to the flu viruses circulating each season. For these reasons, especially with recent news out of the CDC last week, many may be wondering, “should I be concerned about this flu season?”

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An important study conducted in part at the Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory may lead to new, more effective vaccines and medicines by revealing detailed information about how a flu antibody binds to a wide variety of flu viruses.

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For the past two years, we’ve seen a dramatic spike in flu cases nationwide in late December and early January. Data from the government shows this year’s season is tracking right along the same lines, opening us up for the potential of another spike in cases. That’s why I’m recommending everyone get a flu vaccine now. They’re readily available at your pharmacy, physician’s office, or local health care center.

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Joy and goodwill aren’t the only things we start spreading to friends, family, colleagues -- even strangers -- this time of year. Late fall and early winter also signal the start of annual spread of the influenza virus.

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In a comprehensive new study published today in the journal Cell Host and Microbe, the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Yoshihiro Kawaoka and a team of researchers have revealed methods for thwarting influenza viruses by shutting down the cellular machinery they need, like cutting the fuel line on a bank robber’s getaway car.

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Flu infection has long-ranging effects beyond the lung that can wreak havoc in the gut and cause gastrointestinal symptoms, according to researchers in China. The study suggests ways to relieve these symptoms without interfering with the body’s ability to fight the flu virus in the lung.

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With Americans on edge about the potential spread of Ebola, it is easy to overlook another virus to which we have long been accustomed – influenza. According to estimates by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the flu takes anywhere from 3,000 to 48,000 lives a year in this country, depending on the severity of the disease in a given flu season. David Cennimo, an infectious disease physician and assistant professor of medicine and pediatrics at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School,says getting an annual flu shot is far more important than many people realize.

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The preliminary findings from a new study conducted by a team of Swarthmore College researchers indicates that a combination of financial incentives – even as little as $10 – and an endorsement from close friends might by the best way to increase flu vaccinations among college students.

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Wistar researchers have identified a new mutation in the H1N1 influenza virus that made it easily transmitted in middle-aged adults--those who should be able to resist the viral assault--during the 2013-2014 influenza season. .

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While the tragedy of the ebola virus and the emergence of enterovirus dominating headlines, another virus will likely cause hundreds of thousands of hospitalizations this winter. A RowanSOM family physician discusses seasonal flu season and addresses misconceptions about the flu virus and vaccine that prevents it.

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With the 2014-15 flu season officially underway, pharmacy professor Daniel Hussar, PhD, at Philadelphia College of Pharmacy at University of the Sciences, urges people to stop worrying about Ebola and get a flu shot instead.

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A web-based system that allows preschools and child care centers to report illnesses to local public health departments could improve the detection of disease outbreaks and allow resources to be mobilized more quickly.

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It’s a common question parents ask themselves this time of year: Does my child really need a flu shot? Though the flu may seem harmless, the truth is on average 20,000 children age 5 and younger are hospitalized due to flu symptoms each year.

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A Saint Louis University study in JAMA reveals a vaccination strategy researchers can continue to study to protect people from bird flu that has the potential to become epidemic.

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Each year, 30,000 people die from influenza infection and its complications. In an effort to get ahead of the upcoming flu season, experts at Montefiore Medical Center are raising awareness about the importance of the flu vaccine, which remains the best option to reduce a person’s risk of contracting the virus. The flu season can start as early as late September and usually runs for about 12 to 15 weeks.

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If you have a child with egg allergies, you may have been told they shouldn’t get the shot because of a possible reaction to the trace amounts of egg in the vaccine. Not true, says the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI). Recent research has shown that administration of the flu vaccine is safe for kids with egg allergies.

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At the doctor’s office, the focus is on you and what is going on with your health. This is your time to talk about concerns to improve your wellbeing beyond the flu season,” says Jorge Parada, MD, MPH, the medical director of the Infection Prevention and Control Program at Loyola University Health System. “You trust your store employee to help you locate items you want to buy, not to diagnose what’s causing a persistent symptom, schedule other annual health maintenance exams such as mammograms or offer expert medical advice.”

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In a new study that compared people with and without asthma, researchers from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis found no difference in the key immune response to viruses in the lungs and breathing passages. The work suggests that a fundamental antiviral defense mechanism is intact in asthma. This means that another aspect of the immune system must explain the difficulty people with asthma have when they encounter respiratory viruses.

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Hospitals can greatly improve their flu vaccination rate among health care workers by using a mandatory employee vaccination policy, according to a Henry Ford Health System study. Citing its own data, Henry Ford researchers say the health system achieved employee vaccination rates of 99 percent in the first two years of its mandatory policy, in which annual vaccination compliance is a condition of employment.

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A study led by St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital scientists found the avian influenza A H3N8 virus that killed harbor seals along the New England coast can spread through respiratory droplets and poses a threat to humans. The research appears in the current issue of the scientific journal Nature Communications.

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Reserachers show that a specialized subset of lung cells can shake flu infection, yet they remain stamped with an inflammatory gene signature that wreaks havoc in the lung.

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High-dose influenza vaccine is 24 percent more effective than the standard-dose vaccine in protecting persons ages 65 and over against influenza illness and its complications, according to a Vanderbilt-led study published today in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM).

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Doctors have long known that people suffering from influenza are likely to do far worse (or even die) if they get a secondary infection in their lungs or airways. Infection from pneumococcus bacteria, in particular, can lead to pneumonia or a variety of other illnesses that could complicate the recovery of flu sufferers. However, Wistar researchers discovered that pneumococcus often colonizes the respiratory tract without illness and if the order of infection was reversed it could actually protect against severe flu-related illness.

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An international team of researchers has shown that circulating avian influenza viruses contain all the genetic ingredients necessary to underpin the emergence of a virus similar to the deadly 1918 influenza virus.