In the same way that winter is commonly known to be the "flu season," a new study suggests that the dog days of summer may well be the "bacterial infection" season.

Dieters or those who consume fewer calories during flu season could have a harder time fighting off the flu virus, according to research by Michigan State University nutritional immunology professor Elizabeth Gardner.

Flu seasons are unpredictable in a number of ways. Although epidemics of flu happen every year, the beginning, severity, and length of the epidemic depends on many factors, including the different types and strains of influenza viruses circulating and whether the viruses in the vaccine match flu viruses that are circulating.

Wearing masks and using alcohol-based hand sanitizers may prevent the spread of flu symptoms by as much as 50 percent, a landmark new study suggests.

Last year, hundreds of University of Buffalo community members were diagnosed with Influenza or a flu-like illness. Recovery from this easily prevented illness can take 5 to 7 days. UB's Student Wellness Team will offer flu vaccine shots to UB students the week of Nov. 4, 2008.

The days are getting shorter, temperatures are dropping, and the cold and flu season is beginning. Many people have started taking vitamin C tablets as a precautionary measure.

To avoid producing vaccines that treat the wrong strains during flu season, the FDA should consider deferring some of its selections as well as other changes to the vaccine composition, according to a study by two decision analysts published in a journal of the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences.

Batches of homemade chicken soup — fondly known as “Grandma’s Penicillin” — will be more appealing to stuffy-nosed cold and flu victims this winter if prepared with plenty of celery.

Researchers have created a new approach for studying resistance to Neuraminidase Inhibitors (NI) in influenza. The study, published December 7 in PLoS Computational Biology, combines data from influenza infections of human volunteers with a mathematical model which estimates the expected number of newly generated resistant infections.

As cold and flu season hits this year amid growing debate over the necessity of vaccinations, University of Toronto researchers have uncovered widespread misinformation in related videos on YouTube.

For parents, 8 million cases of acute middle ear infections every year add up to a lot of sleepless nights and trips to the pediatrician. But new research from a collaboration between Rockefeller University and St. Jude Children's Hospital could change all that.