Recent News
NIAID unveils strategic plan for developing a universal influenza vaccine
Published 03/02/2018What Developing a universal influenza vaccine — a vaccine that can provide durable protection for all age groups against multiple influenza strains, including those that might cause a pandemic — is a priority for the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the Natio...
Health Tip: When to Seek Medical Care if You Have the Flu
Published 03/01/2018(HealthDay News) -- This year's flu season is shaping up to be the worst in nearly a decade, experts say.
The flu vaccine is the best way to protect yourself. If you do develop symptoms including high fever, severe body aches, headache, extreme fatigue, sore throat, cough, runny nose, vomiting or...
Flu Shot a Lifesaver for Heart Failure Patients
Published 02/28/2018WEDNESDAY, Feb. 28, 2018 (HealthDay News) -- If you're a heart failure patient, new research suggests you would be wise to get a flu shot every year.
After reviewing six studies that included more than 78,000 heart failure patients in the United States, Asia and Europe, researchers found that an...
How to Spare Family and Coworkers Your Flu Misery
Published 02/16/2018FRIDAY, Feb. 16, 2018 (HealthDay News) -- You've caught the flu, but you have to go to work and you can't desert your family. What do you do?
Believe it or not, one expert says there are ways to stem the spread of sickness -- even if you can't avoid being around other people.
It sounds like a tal...
ACEP: I Have the Flu, Should I Go to the Emergency Room?
Published 02/14/2018WASHINGTON,Feb. 2, 2018/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --As flu activity reaches its highest levels in nearly a decade, it is important to take steps to prevent getting or spreading the illness. These include recognizing the signs and symptoms, and knowing when to go to the emergency department or seek...
Shining a Deadly New Light on Airborne Flu Virus
Published 02/12/2018MONDAY, Feb. 12, 2018 (HealthDay News) -- As a particularly nasty flu season rages across the United States, scientists have found a powerful new disinfectant that makes "light" work of the virus.
Researchers say a certain spectrum of ultraviolet light -- called far-UVC -- easily kills airborne f...
A Bad Flu Season Keeps Getting Worse
Published 02/09/2018FRIDAY, Feb. 9, 2018 (HealthDay News) -- This year's dangerous flu season shows no sign of waning, and "may be on track to break some recent records."
That was the sobering assessment offered Friday by U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Acting Director Dr. Anne Schuchat.
Flu activity...
It's a Century Since the 1918 Flu Pandemic - Could It Happen Again?
Published 02/07/2018WEDNESDAY, Feb. 7, 2018 (HealthDay News) -- One hundred years ago, the deadliest influenza pandemic of all time made a ravaging march across the globe.
The "Spanish" flu of 1918-19 infected an estimated one-third of the world's population and killed between 50 million and 100 million people, mode...
Just How Bad Is This Flu Season? Experts Weigh In
Published 02/02/2018FRIDAY, Feb. 2, 2018 (HealthDay News) -- The United States is in the grip of a tough flu season, no doubt.
It might seem as if every other person you know has fallen prey to influenza. Actually, though, health experts say this flu season is pretty much on par with other severe seasons.
Here's wha...
Is It a Cold or Flu? Here's How to Tell
Published 01/12/2018FRIDAY, Jan. 12, 2018 (HealthDay News) -- With a severe flu season now widespread across 46 states, do symptoms you or a loved one have point to the dreaded illness?
Amid the sniffles, coughing and fever, "it's sometimes difficult to determine whether you have the common cold or the flu," said Dr...
Experts Discuss Influenza Vaccine Challenges and Opportunities November 29, 2017 In a New England Journal of Medicine perspective, experts from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, and the World Health Organization (WHO) Col...
Health Tip: If You Get the Flu While Pregnant
Published 12/12/2017(HealthDay News) -- The flu may be dangerous enough, but it's even more of a threat for women who are pregnant.
All women should get the annual flu vaccine, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises.
If you do develop the flu while pregnant, the CDC suggests:
Begin treatment as...
Are Men Just 'Babies' When They Get the Flu? Maybe Not Cold4161 Published 12/12/2017 MONDAY, Dec. 11, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- As winter rolls into town, so does the flu and all its miserable symptoms. Yet, doctors and women alike have long noticed that men tend to bemoan those symptoms more than...
Getting Annual Flu Shot Won't Weaken Your Immune System
Published 11/21/2017TUESDAY, Nov. 21, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- There's no evidence to support the notion that people who get the flu vaccine every year somehow "weaken" their immune system over time, researchers say.
In fact, annual vaccination seemed tied to stronger immune cell activity, according to the Norwegian...
Flu Shot Could Help Your Kid Avoid Hospital
Published 11/17/2017FRIDAY, Nov. 17, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- There's an easy way for parents to help cut their child's chances of ending up in the hospital with the flu -- get them vaccinated, researchers say.
For the new study, the Canadian researchers analyzed the medical records of nearly 10,000 children, aged 6...