Thorough hand washing can help slow the spread of stomach viruses

Oklahoma State Department of Health officials confirmed today that its influenza sentinel-reporting network is noting an increase in persons with flu-like symptoms. "The flu bug is poised to bite," said State Health Commissioner Dr. Mike Crutcher. "The best way to protect yourself and your loved ones is to get a flu shot."

Minnesota has recorded its first culture-confirmed case of influenza for the 2006-07 season in a 12-month old child from Hennepin County. The child's illness was caused by the B/Shanghai-like strain of the virus, the Minnesota Department of Health reported today. The child's virus is a good match for this year's vaccine, health officials said.

Scientists at the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), part of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md., and colleagues at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville have succeeded in imaging, in unprecedented detail, the virus that causes influenza.

Department for Public Health Urges Kentuckians to Get Holiday Flu Shots
Flu Vaccine Widely Available Across the Commonwealth

In order to control and prevent the recurrence of bird flu in Vietnam and the eruption of influenza A (H5N1) in humans, PM Nguyen Tấn Dũng issued in the afternoon of December 12 Note 2119/CD-TTg ordering competent agencies to take urgent measures against bird flu.

After listening all morning to the myriad manmade and natural risks facing the world in the 21st century, Michael Osterholm, an expert on public-health preparedness, offered a stark analysis of the threat of pandemic influenza.

As public health officials around the world keep a nervous eye on the spread of avian influenza, the University of Saskatchewan's Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO) has uncovered a key step in how the influenza virus causes infection.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today announced the designation of the week after Thanksgiving as National Influenza Vaccination Week. This year, National Influenza Vaccination Week will run from November 27 to December 3.