seasonal flu

Seasonal Affective Disorder May Be Linked to Genetic Mutation

harminka — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 13:01:38 -0600

With the days shortening toward winter, many people will begin to experience the winter blahs. For some, the effect can be devastating.

Mother's flu shot protects newborns

harminka — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 10:45:23 -0500

Newborns can be protected from seasonal flu when their mothers are vaccinated during pregnancy, according to a study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Flu tracked to viral reservoir in tropics

harminka — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 14:13:29 -0500

Each winter, strains of influenza A virus infect North Americans, causing an average of 36,000 deaths. Now, researchers say the virus comes from a viral reservoir somewhere in the tropics, settling a key debate on the source of each season's infection.

Scientists discover the travel patterns of seasonal flu

harminka — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 13:56:45 -0500

Outbreaks of the most common type of influenza virus, A (H3N2), are seeded by viruses that originate in East and Southeast Asia and migrate around the world, new research has found. This discovery may help to further improve flu vaccines and make the evolution of the virus more predictable.

Study uncovers cause of flu epidemics

harminka — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 10:54:11 -0600

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.

Influenza spreads readily in winter conditions

harminka — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 08:55:35 -0500

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.

Better assessment of benefits of influenza vaccine in elderly

harminka — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 04:08:02 -0500

Each year, seasonal flu kills approximately 36,000 people in the United States, most over age 70.Yet little is known about the benefit of influenza vaccine in older seniors. Randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trials involving seniors have not been large enough to reveal how well the vaccine can prevent death in this age group.

US control strategies may make flu epidemics worse

harminka — Fri, 04 May 2007 07:30:47 -0500

Regular as clockwork, the flu arrives every year. And, according to the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 5 to 20 percent of the U.S. population on average will come down with it. About 36,000 people will die.

Antivirals effectively curb influenza virus

harminka — Wed, 17 Jan 2007 01:33:49 -0600