Children rarely die of the flu, but the illness can be more severe than parents think — which is why, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Thursday, vaccination is crucial.
Flu
It’s Back: Bird Flu Returns, and This Time It’s Mutated
The Curious Link Between H1N1 Flu and Narcolepsy
A swell in new cases of narcolepsy in China followed seasonal patterns of flu, including H1N1, according to a recent study led by Dr. Emmanuel Mignot of the Stanford University School of Medicine. The new cases appear to be …
One Shot Wonder? Progress on a Universal Flu Vaccine
A universal flu vaccine may be on its way, thanks to a team of scientists in Britain and Switzerland and one anonymous patient who was immune to both of the main types of influenza A virus, one of the more common classes of flu …
In Southern China, a Mixing Bowl of Swine Flu
Pigs may seem cute, but from a virological perspective, they’re oinking time bombs. That’s because swine can become infected with both avian and human flu viruses, making them influenza mixing bowls.
Sniffles and Sneezes: Canadian Herbal Remedy Wants to Be Approved for Kids
Colds are the bane of a parent’s existence in wintertime, which is pretty much the equivalent of perpetual runny-nose season. The drug manufacturer that can successfully develop a remedy for the sneezing, drippy noses, …
One Stop Flu Shot: Hope for a Universal Influenza Vaccine
Perhaps there’s a silver lining to last year’s H1N1 pandemic flu outbreak: those who were infected and survived appear to have developed ‘super flu’ antibodies that may help researchers develop an influenza inoculation that could …
Bird Flu Pops Up Again in Hong Kong. Is a Pandemic on Its Way?
Hong Kong residents experienced an unwelcome blast from the past on Nov. 18. A 59-year-old woman in the city contracted H5N1 avian influenza — the first confirmed case in Hong Kong since 2003.
More Wisdom From a Long-Ago Plague
In its own deadly way, the 1918 flu pandemic is the gift that keeps on giving. It’s hard to say anything good about a global scourge that claimed 50 million lives, but a new article published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases …
Who’s Afraid of the Flu? Not Moms
In a typical flu season, up to 150 U.S. children die; last year’s numbers were even worse: the swine flu pandemic killed 1,100 kids. Still, one-third of U.S. moms don’t plan to get their children a flu shot this season, …
Is Your Touch-Screen Dirtier than a Toilet Flusher?
Insert “going viral” joke here: a study conducted by Stanford researchers found that letting your friends handle your cool new touch-screen device could mean sharing more than the latest technology. You could also be passing …
Whooping Cough Cases May Break Record in California
With nine deaths and 4,017 illnesses reported, California is on track to break a 55-year record in pertussis, or whooping cough, infections — a highly contagious upper respiratory illness that affects children in …
Post-H1N1, Why You Still Need to Worry About Flu
The H1N1 pandemic has come and gone, but that doesn’t mean we’ve seen the last of the flu strain that started it all.