Breaking News: Influenza

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Newswise: Method for improving seasonal flu vaccines also aids pandemic prediction
29-Mar-2023 1:05 PM EDT
Method for improving seasonal flu vaccines also aids pandemic prediction
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

The seasonal flu vaccine is less effective in some years than others. New St. Jude research showed one reason behind this lack of efficacy is the inclusion of flu strains with an unstable viral protein.

Released: 29-Mar-2023 11:25 AM EDT
Radar, AI identify Alaska Native Spanish flu victims burial site
Cornell University

A Cornell research scientist, working in partnership with an organization representing a consortium of 20 Native Alaska groups, used ground-penetrating radar and AI modeling to locate the communal graves of approximately 93 victims of the Spanish influenza at Pilgrim Hot Springs on the Seward Peninsula – a finding that helps clarify the historical record for the Indigenous communities devastated by the 1918-19 pandemic.

Newswise: Journal of Medical Internet Research | Can Artificial Intelligence Be Used to Diagnose Influenza?
Released: 28-Mar-2023 7:05 AM EDT
Journal of Medical Internet Research | Can Artificial Intelligence Be Used to Diagnose Influenza?
JMIR Publications

JMIR Publications published "Examining the Use of an Artificial Intelligence Model to Diagnose Influenza: Development and Validation Study" in the Journal of Medical Internet Research, which reported that it may be possible to diagnose influenza infection by applying deep learning to pharyngeal images given that influenza primarily infects the upper respiratory system.

     
Newswise: Is it COVID-19 or the flu? New sensor could tell you in 10 seconds
20-Mar-2023 11:45 PM EDT
Is it COVID-19 or the flu? New sensor could tell you in 10 seconds
American Chemical Society (ACS)

Scientists report using a single-atom-thick nanomaterial to build a device that can simultaneously detect the presence of the viruses that cause COVID-19 and the flu — at much lower levels and much more quickly than conventional tests for either. They will present their results at ACS Spring 2023.

   
Released: 22-Mar-2023 5:20 PM EDT
Memory B cell marker predicts long-lived antibody response to flu vaccine
University of Alabama at Birmingham

In a study published in the journal Immunity, researchers describe a distinct and novel subset of memory B cells that predict long-lived antibody responses to influenza vaccination in humans.

Released: 22-Mar-2023 12:10 PM EDT
UCLA Health Tip Sheet: Visual loss and mask-wearing practices; Influenza vaccination rates are low; Mixed ancestry study provides clues to genetic traits
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Health Sciences

Below is a brief roundup of news and story ideas from the experts at UCLA Health. For more information on these stories or for help on other stories, please contact us at [email protected].

Newswise: Stickiness may determine how influenza spreads
Released: 20-Mar-2023 7:05 AM EDT
Stickiness may determine how influenza spreads
Washington University in St. Louis

Influenza viruses have an enormous impact in the U.S., with an estimated 25 million illnesses and 18,000 deaths in the 2022-23 flu season alone. However, the majority of virus particles are not infectious or are only partially infectious. How, then, do they become such a contagious and deadly virus?

   
14-Mar-2023 2:15 PM EDT
Bird Flu Associated with Hundreds of Seal Deaths in New England in 2022, Tufts Researchers Find
Tufts University

Researchers at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University found that an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) was associated with the deaths of more than 330 New England harbor and gray seals along the North Atlantic coast in June and July 2022, and the outbreak was connected to a wave of avian influenza in birds in the region.

Newswise: Avian influenza viruses could spawn the next human pandemic
Released: 13-Mar-2023 11:05 AM EDT
Avian influenza viruses could spawn the next human pandemic
University of Sydney

The next pandemic that cascades through the human population could be caused by a new influenza virus strain concocted in animals, against which humans will have little to no immunity.

   
10-Mar-2023 12:00 PM EST
Not getting enough sleep could blunt antibody response to vaccination, leaving you more vulnerable to infection
University of Chicago Medical Center

In reviewing data from previous studies, a team lead by researchers at the University of Chicago and the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm) found that individuals who had fewer than six hours of sleep per night in the days surrounding vaccination had a blunted antibody response. That indicates efforts to promote heathy sleep duration ahead of an immunization could be an easy way to improve vaccine effectiveness.

6-Mar-2023 6:10 PM EST
How the Brain Senses Infection
Harvard Medical School

A new study led by researchers at Harvard Medical School illuminates how the brain becomes aware that there is an infection in the body.

Released: 6-Mar-2023 2:55 PM EST
Electronic Messages Improved Influenza Vaccination Rates in Nationwide Danish Study
Brigham and Women’s Hospital

To evaluate best strategies for increasing vaccination rates, researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a founding member of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system, collaborated with Danish researchers to develop and implement a nationwide trial in Denmark testing nine different electronic messaging tactics among adults over age 65.

Released: 1-Mar-2023 6:20 PM EST
Wastewater study monitors Houston schools for viral threats
Rice University

Schools are among the most notable settings people associate with picking up viral infections such as the common cold, various types of the flu or other respiratory viruses.

Released: 24-Feb-2023 11:05 AM EST
The Achilles heel of the influenza virus: ubiquitin protein may be an approach for future medicines
University of Münster

Every year, the influenza season presents a challenge to hospitals. Despite having been vaccinated, older people and patients with health problems in particular run a heightened risk of falling prey to a severe bout of influenza.

Newswise: UCI-led study reveals how lung cells protect themselves against RNA viral infection
Released: 22-Feb-2023 3:55 PM EST
UCI-led study reveals how lung cells protect themselves against RNA viral infection
University of California, Irvine

A new University of California, Irvine-led study uncovers how a protein, APOBEC3B, could protects cells against many different types of RNA viruses like respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), SARS-CoV2, influenza virus, poliovirus and measles, helping to prevent disease. The study was published in Nature Communications.

Newswise: Octavio Ramilo, M.D., named chair of the Department of Infectious Diseases at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
Released: 16-Feb-2023 12:10 PM EST
Octavio Ramilo, M.D., named chair of the Department of Infectious Diseases at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

Internationally renowned expert will focus on growing St. Jude into a global leader in infectious diseases research.

Newswise: New compound inhibits influenza virus replication
Released: 9-Feb-2023 7:00 PM EST
New compound inhibits influenza virus replication
University of Bonn

Viruses use the molecular repertoire of the host cell to replicate. Researchers from the Cluster of Excellence ImmunoSensation2 at the University of Bonn, together with Japanese researchers, want to exploit this for the treatment of influenza.

Newswise:Video Embedded computer-model-of-influenza-virus-shows-universal-vaccine-promise
VIDEO
Released: 25-Jan-2023 12:35 PM EST
Computer Model of Influenza Virus Shows Universal Vaccine Promise
University of California San Diego

For the first time, researchers at UC San Diego have created an atomic-level computer model of the H1N1 virus that reveals new vulnerabilities, suggesting possible strategies for the design of future vaccines and antivirals against influenza.

   
Newswise: Preparing for Coming RSV, Influenza Epidemics
12-Jan-2023 12:00 PM EST
Preparing for Coming RSV, Influenza Epidemics
American Institute of Physics (AIP)

Nonpharmaceutical interventions slowed the spread of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases but now, as NPIs are lifted, countries are seeing a resurgence in several respiratory diseases. In Chaos, scientists, using data from Hong Kong to develop their model, describe a threshold control method that can be used to predict the best time to lift NPIs without overwhelming the hospital systems when these other respiratory diseases inevitably surge back. They found that reintroducing NPI measures when a threshold of 600 severe cases is reached could ensure that the hospital system in Hong Kong is not overwhelmed by severely infected patients.

   
Released: 17-Jan-2023 8:00 AM EST
Improving Adult Immunization Rates the Focus of Partnership Between ATS and Three Health Systems Across the U.S.
American Thoracic Society (ATS)

NEW YORK, NY – Jan. 17, 2023 – The American Thoracic Society is starting the new year poised to improve vaccination rates with three health system partners: University of Arizona/ Banner Health; West Virginia University Hospitals, Inc.; and San Francisco Health Network/ University of California.

Released: 16-Jan-2023 3:45 PM EST
Gone fishing: highly accurate test for common respiratory viruses uses DNA as ‘bait’
University of Cambridge

A new test that ‘fishes’ for multiple respiratory viruses at once using single strands of DNA as ‘bait’, and gives highly accurate results in under an hour, has been developed by Cambridge researchers.

Newswise: When battling multiple infections, infants and toddlers at higher risk of severe outcomes, study suggests
Released: 12-Jan-2023 3:00 PM EST
When battling multiple infections, infants and toddlers at higher risk of severe outcomes, study suggests
Corewell Health

Results of the 18-month study, published in Lancet Regional Health - Americas and led by Amit Bahl, M.D., M.P.H., emergency medicine with Corewell Health East, formerly Beaumont Health, showed that while omicron cases had the highest hospital admission rates among children ages 0 to 17, serious, even deadly, cases of illness were less likely during omicron than during the delta and alpha variants. In fact, the odds of severe disease were 65% lower during omicron compared to alpha.

Newswise: Effects of highly pathogenic avian influenza on canids investigated
Released: 5-Jan-2023 3:35 PM EST
Effects of highly pathogenic avian influenza on canids investigated
Hokkaido University

Researchers at Hokkaido University have revealed the effects of high pathogenicity avian influenza virus infection on an Ezo red fox and a Japanese raccoon dog, linking their infection to a recorded die-off of crows.

Released: 27-Dec-2022 11:05 AM EST
Free Online Course Focuses on Pediatric RSV Care
American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN)

To provide vital resources during current RSV surge, AACN and Children's Hospital Association offer new eLearning course on pediatric respiratory care, available to all nurses and other clinicians at no charge.

Newswise: Flu season came early, hit hard in Tennessee
Released: 21-Dec-2022 10:45 AM EST
Flu season came early, hit hard in Tennessee
Vanderbilt University Medical Center

  Flu season came a month early this year in Tennessee and hit hard, disproportionately affecting children, according to Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) data gathered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Tennessee Department of Health and Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

Newswise: Flu shots are recommended for those 65 and older as cases rise
Released: 1-Dec-2022 9:05 AM EST
Flu shots are recommended for those 65 and older as cases rise
UT Southwestern Medical Center

With flu cases on the rise, geriatric specialists at UT Southwestern Medical Center say vaccinations are particularly important this year for people 65 and older who are more at risk from complications than other age groups.

Newswise: Dr. Fauci reflects on the perpetual challenge of infectious diseases
Released: 28-Nov-2022 12:20 PM EST
Dr. Fauci reflects on the perpetual challenge of infectious diseases
NIH, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)

Once considered a potentially static field of medicine, the discipline of studying infectious diseases has proven to be dynamic as emerging and reemerging infectious diseases present continuous challenges, Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., writes in a perspective in The New England Journal of Medicine.

21-Nov-2022 11:05 AM EST
Nation’s Health Care Organizations Urge COVID-19 and Influenza Vaccination and Treatment
American College of Physicians (ACP)

Given the anticipated increase in COVID-19 and influenza cases this fall and winter, America’s healthcare professional organizations are coming together to remind the public of the importance of vaccinations and early treatment.

Released: 16-Nov-2022 7:30 PM EST
Got the sniffles? Here's how to make the right decision around family gatherings
University of Colorado Boulder

With what some are calling a “tripledemic” of COVID-19, the influenza virus and respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, soaring in many parts of the country, the holiday season will come with some tough decisions again this year.

   
14-Nov-2022 11:05 AM EST
Study Finds Risk of Seizures Is Higher After COVID-19 Than After Influenza
American Academy of Neurology (AAN)

People who have a COVID-19 infection are more likely to develop seizures or epilepsy within the next six months than people who have an influenza infection, according to a study published in the November 16, 2022, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

Released: 15-Nov-2022 6:30 PM EST
Flu shots can protect patients with heart failure from death
McMaster University

An international study led by McMaster University researchers and published in The Lancet Global Health has found that influenza vaccines greatly reduce both pneumonia and cardiovascular complications in people with heart failure. An international study led by McMaster University researchers and published in The Lancet Global Health has found that influenza vaccines greatly reduce both pneumonia and cardiovascular complications in people with heart failure. Data gathered during flu season also showed the vaccine helped protect against cardiovascular complications, such as heart attacks and strokes.

Released: 15-Nov-2022 1:05 PM EST
Children with severe form of epilepsy should receive flu vaccine due to high seizure risk after influenza infection
Murdoch Childrens Research Institute

Children with a severe form of epilepsy should be vaccinated against the flu due to the high risk of seizures being triggered by an influenza infection, according to a new study.

Released: 14-Nov-2022 10:05 AM EST
Preventing the next pandemic: Leaders of Pacific Rim Universities meet in Bangkok, Thailand
Newswise

Hosted by Chulalongkorn University the APRU APEC University Leaders' Forum 2022 is the first post-pandemic in-person APEC meeting held to foster high-level dialogue between CEOs, policy leaders, university presidents, and top researchers. This event begins Nov 15 at 9 PM EST.

       
Released: 8-Nov-2022 12:45 PM EST
Study Finds Holding Methotrexate for One Week after Flu Vaccine May Be as Effective as a Two-Week Hold
American College of Rheumatology (ACR)

New research presented this week at ACR Convergence, the American College of Rheumatology’s annual meeting, showed that discontinuing methotrexate for 1 week after seasonal influenza vaccination provided the same seroprotection as a 2 week discontinuation period in patients with RA.

Released: 2-Nov-2022 7:50 PM EDT
Sepsis and COVID-19 Patients Most at Risk Predicted with Genetic Model
Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute

A new model for understanding which patients with sepsis, Covid-19 and influenza have immune dysfunction and are more likely to suffer poor outcomes has been developed by researchers at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, the University of Oxford, Queen Mary University, Imperial College and their collaborators.

Released: 2-Nov-2022 12:45 PM EDT
Study finds high prevalence of COVID-19 and flu co-infections during 2021-2022 flu season
University of Missouri, Columbia

Researchers from the University of Missouri School of Medicine have discovered a high prevalence of COVID-19 co-infections in central Missouri during the 2021-2022 flu season, with a monthly co-infection rate as high as 48% among individuals with COVID-19.

Released: 31-Oct-2022 2:40 PM EDT
Why Pregnant Women Shouldn’t Wait to Get Flu Vaccinations and COVID-19 Boosters
Rutgers University-New Brunswick

A Rutgers expert provides guidance to those who might be at increased risk during pregnancy

Released: 26-Oct-2022 12:20 PM EDT
Global Virus Network (GVN) Adds Thailand’s Mahidol University as Newest Member to Combat Viral Threats
Global Virus Network

The Global Virus Network (GVN), representing 68 Centers of Excellence and 11 Affiliates in 39 countries comprising foremost experts in every class of virus causing disease in humans, and the Mahidol University in Thailand announced the addition of the Mahidol Virus Network as GVN’s newest Center of Excellence.

Newswise:Video Embedded what-parents-need-to-know-about-rsv
VIDEO
Released: 25-Oct-2022 11:30 AM EDT
What Parents Need to Know About RSV
Cedars-Sinai

Cedars-Sinai and other hospitals nationwide are seeing a surge in cases of pediatric RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) that are showing up earlier than expected this year. Healthcare providers are worried about the onset of the virus combined with the additional threats of the flu and COVID-19 as we head into winter.

Released: 21-Oct-2022 8:45 AM EDT
Potential therapy derived from a banana protein works against SARS-CoV-2
Michigan Medicine - University of Michigan

A paper in Cell Reports Medicine details the efficacy of H84T-BanLec against all known human-infecting coronaviruses, including MERS, the original SARS, and SARS-CoV2, including the omicron variant.

Newswise: Johns Hopkins Experts Available for Interviews on This Year’s Flu Virus and Vaccine
Released: 19-Oct-2022 12:05 PM EDT
Johns Hopkins Experts Available for Interviews on This Year’s Flu Virus and Vaccine
Johns Hopkins Medicine

The annual influenza (flu) season — which typically lasts from October to April in the United States — is upon us. Johns Hopkins Medicine experts will be available throughout the 2022–23 season for interviews about this year’s flu virus and flu vaccine, as well as other respiratory illnesses, such as COVID-19 and monkeypox.

Newswise: It’s Flu Season Again: Here’s What Cancer Patients Need to Know
Released: 11-Oct-2022 2:05 PM EDT
It’s Flu Season Again: Here’s What Cancer Patients Need to Know
Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey

Flu season is here. Rutgers Cancer Institute expert shares what cancer patients and their families need to know.

Newswise: Researchers Identify Flu-Fighting Pathways and Genes Essential for Influenza A Immune Defense
Released: 5-Oct-2022 2:15 PM EDT
Researchers Identify Flu-Fighting Pathways and Genes Essential for Influenza A Immune Defense
Mount Sinai Health System

Researchers have identified the gene TDRD7 as a key regulator against influenza A virus (IAV), which causes respiratory tract infections in 5 to 20 percent of the human population.

Newswise: UCLA Fielding School of Public Health-led research demonstrates the importance of influenza vaccination globally
Released: 5-Oct-2022 12:05 PM EDT
UCLA Fielding School of Public Health-led research demonstrates the importance of influenza vaccination globally
UCLA Fielding School of Public Health

An international team of researchers has demonstrated that among patients hospitalized for influenza, those who were vaccinated had less severe infections, including reducing the odds for children requiring admittance to an intensive care unit by almost half.

Newswise:Video Embedded arm-yourself-against-the-2022-23-flu-season
VIDEO
Released: 28-Sep-2022 11:45 AM EDT
Arm Yourself Against the 2022-23 Flu Season
Cedars-Sinai

Amid the loosening of COVID-19 precautions and a sharp increase in flu cases in the Southern Hemisphere, Cedars-Sinai experts are warning the public to prepare for a bad flu season this year.

Newswise: Houston Methodist seeing December flu season peak numbers now
Released: 27-Sep-2022 5:05 PM EDT
Houston Methodist seeing December flu season peak numbers now
Houston Methodist

Texas already has a moderately high rate of flu cases in September. This doesn’t look good for flu season, which was uncharacteristically low last year because of masks and people isolating. Houston Methodist experts are encouraging the community to get the flu shot early. Experts say cases aren't usually seen this high until December, which is when the season usually peaks.

Released: 25-Sep-2022 10:05 AM EDT
Can I Get the Flu From Touching Surfaces? Rutgers Researcher Says No.
Rutgers University-New Brunswick

In the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, the coronavirus was everywhere – stuck to our cellphone screens, smeared on our mail, dangling from doorknobs, even clinging to our cereal boxes. Except that it wasn’t. Despite public health guidance suggesting surfaces be disinfected to stop the spread of COVID-19, the virus wasn’t significantly transmitted through inanimate surfaces and objects, what microbiologists call “fomites.” As with all respiratory viruses – from the flu to the common cold – transmission was and remains almost exclusively airborne. Emanuel Goldman, a professor of microbiology at the Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, was among the first scientists to challenge conventional wisdom by warning that hygiene theater – overzealous disinfection of surfaces – had “become counterproductive” for public health.

Released: 19-Sep-2022 4:50 PM EDT
Facemask can detect viral exposure from a 10-minute conversation with an infected person
Cell Press

Scientists have created a face mask that can detect common respiratory viruses, including influenza and the coronavirus, in the air in droplets or aerosols.

   


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