The Latest Breaking News from Influenza

Flu Shots Less Effective In South: Why CDC Urges Vaccination Despite Similar U.S. Forecast

The flu shot reduced the risk of hospitalization among high-risk groups by 35% in five South American countries, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay, according to the interim vaccine effectiveness report by the CDC.

Medical Daily · Oct 7, 2024

Devastating bird flu strain 'on Australia's doorstep'

Conservation groups are calling for more funding to prepare for the arrival of a deadly bird flu strain believed to have killed billions of animals worldwide.

AAP · Oct 6, 2024

Flu shot lowers hospitalization risk by 35% in vulnerable groups, data hint

Data from the Southern Hemisphere hint that this year's flu shot lowers the risk of hospitalization among vulnerable demographics.

LiveScience · Oct 4, 2024

At-home flu vaccine approved by FDA — what to know

People could previously get the nasal spray flu vaccine, called FluMist, from a health care provider, but now they can administer it themselves.

LiveScience · Sep 24, 2024

First Self-Administered Flu Vaccine For Home Use Gets FDA Approval

FluMist nasal spray manufactured by AstraZeneca is now approved for home use against influenza infection caused by subtypes A and B from ages 2 through 49.

Medical Daily · Sep 23, 2024

Hospitalized patients with flu need Tamiflu the day they're admitted, CDC says

New research suggests that hospitalized patients with flu who start taking Tamiflu the day they are admitted are 40% less likely to die within a month than those treated just days later.

LiveScience · Sep 9, 2024

Fight to keep deadly avian influenza strain at bay

Australia's biosecurity measures are being stress tested over the global outbreak of deadly strain of avian influenza.

AAP · Sep 7, 2024

How flu shots can help against bird flu

Flu vaccines won't stop the spread of H5N1, but they can stop both viruses from mutating into something worse

Salon · Sep 4, 2024

Humans infecting animals infecting humans − from COVID-19 to bird flu, preventing pandemics requires protecting all species

When the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11, 2020, humans had been the only species with reported cases of the disease. While early genetic analyses pointed to horseshoe bats as the evolutionary hosts of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, no reports had yet surfaced indicating…

The Conversation · Sep 4, 2024

Preparing for a pandemic that never came ended up setting off another − how an accidental virus release triggered 1977’s ‘Russian flu’

Nineteen-year-old U.S. Army Pvt. David Lewis set out from Fort Dix on a 50-mile hike with his unit on Feb. 5, 1976. On that bitter cold day, he collapsed and died. Autopsy specimens unexpectedly tested positive for an H1N1 swine influenza virus.

The Conversation · Sep 4, 2024