Scientists discover the travel patterns of seasonal flu - findings may lead to improved flu vaccines.

STMicroelectronics and Veredus Laboratories Launch Market's First Lab-on-Chip for Rapid Molecular Flu Detection at Point of Need Called VereFlu.

Following the outbreak of the fast spreading bird flu in Hongkong, the Government on Wednesday has ordered for the closure of all kindergartens and primary schools in the region for two weeks.

The exchange of genetic material between two closely related strains of the influenza A virus may have caused the 1947 and 1951 human flu epidemics, according to biologists. The findings could help explain why some strains cause major pandemics and others lead to seasonal epidemics.

This winter has been one of the worst flu seasons in recent memory, and researchers are trying to explain why. They believe that the flu is so potent in the winter due to cold temperatures.

New research from a scientist at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, has uncovered information that may someday lead to a better flu vaccine.

Previous work from this group of scientists, led by Tracy Hussell at Imperial College, London, showed that recovery from flu infection left mice unusually vulnerable to infection with pneumonia-causing bacteria.

Emerging subtypes of influenza A virus hold the potential to initiate a world-wide epidemic in the next few years, according to World Health Organization officials. However, almost all type A influenza viral strains have become resistant to amantadine and rimantadine, two drugs that make up one of only two classes used to treat the flu.

Diagnosing a nasty cough is now a lot easier thanks to a new test developed at McMaster University, which has just been approved by U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in the United States. This new test simultaneously detects the most prevalent respiratory viruses, including flu and the common cold, helping doctors more accurately diagnose patients.

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.

Low temperatures and relative humidities have been linked to the rapid spread of influenza in a new study by researchers, led by Dr. Peter Palese, from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. The study, published in PLoS Pathogens, supports the theory of the seasonal flu.

The influenza A virus does not lie dormant during summer but migrates globally and mixes with other viral strains before returning to the Northern Hemisphere as a genetically different virus, according to biologists who say the finding settles a key debate on what the virus does during the summer off season when it is not infecting people.