Influenza
Influenza News
Explained: Why minks falling sick to bird flu is worrying for humans
The bird flu virus drawing attention today — Type A H5N1 — was first identified in 1959 in Scotland. As bird flu affects more and more animals, such as those at the mink farm, there is concern that the virus will evolve to spread more easily between people, potentially triggering a pandemic
Bird flu continues to spread in mammals: Do humans need to worry?
The threat of bird flu has long been anticipated. Even so, understanding its evolution will aid in the development of more effective vaccines and treatments. Furthermore, the virus is already wreaking havoc on wildlife and has the potential to spread to more endangered species
Three years after COVID-19, how prepared are we for the next pandemic
The WHO is currently working on updating its list of priority pathogens, which could pose the next pandemic threat. Coronaviruses and influenza viruses will be among the main suspects because of their proven pandemic potential
Explained: Why are masks making a comeback in the United States?
A ‘tripledemic’ outbreak of coronavirus, influenza, and respiratory syncytial virus is sweeping the United States. This has prompted several cities and counties, including New York City and Los Angeles County, to encourage people to wear masks indoors
Triple Jeopardy: Canada gripped by 'tridemic' as 3 viruses come together to infect large numbers, including kids
Due to the spike in cases of respiratory ailments, the Canadian Red Cross said that they are coming to help the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO)
Health
Scientists develop face masks that can detect viral exposure: How will it work?
The sensor used in the mask can respond to as little as 0.3 microlitres of liquid containing viral proteins, about 70 to 560 times less than the volume of liquid produced in one sneeze and much less than the volume produced by coughing or talking
As flu cases increase, vaccination to offer some bonus protection from COVID as well
The influenza vaccine can protect against the flu and a growing body of international research suggests the flu jab might also protect against COVID-19
How will COVID-19 end? Experts look to influenza, HIV, Zika epidemics for clues
The COVID-19 global pandemic has waxed and waned differently in different parts of the world. But in the United States, at least, there is reason to believe the end is near.
World Heart Day 2021: Why COVID-19 survivors are returning to hospitals with reduced heart functions
After their recovery from COVID-19 many patients have reportedly rushed back to hospitals where they complained about reduced heart functions, heart attacks and strokes
From gargling with whiskey to having beef extract: How the world dealt with Spanish flu pandemic
Modern day technology has helped researchers track which interventions work well and which ones don’t, a privilege unavailable in 1918
Moderna has begun human trials for an mRNA vaccine that targets multiple influenza strains
The company intends to recruit 180 adults in the United States for the Phase 1/2 portion of the trial to evaluate the safety and strength of immune response to the shot, called mRNA-1010.
Flu vaccination can protect adults and kids from influenza, lower respiratory disease burden
Co-infection by the influenza virus for people with respiratory diseases like asthma and COPD can end badly – vaccines can help.
Vaccine to Vaccination: Lessons from Spanish Flu pandemic in dealing with COVID-19 crisis
There may be some lessons and inspiration that we and our scientific community can draw from the horrors of the Spanish Flu
Reading Mrs Dalloway: How Virginia Woolf wrote illness and isolation into the national story of post war Britain
Mrs Dalloway is a text that shows how memory and mourning work to uphold the values of the British Empire. Its attention on how emotions circulate between people allows us to understand how national structures of feeling are created through newspapers and through the orchestration of symbolic identifications.
Chinmay Tumbe on his new book that investigates major pandemics, and how they influenced India, the world
In 'The Age of Pandemics', Tumbe specifically focuses on the period between 1817 to 1920, which witnessed nearly five percent of the mid-point global population —or 70 million people — being wiped out by pandemics.
Health
New immunotherapy for influenza virus infections may also help fight HIV and COVID-19, study suggests
Some studies also indicate that flu shots or vaccines can offer some protection against COVID-19
Lupin launches antiviral drug Favipiravir under the name Covihalt to treat mild to moderate COVID-19 infection
The Covihalt tablet will be available in 200 mg tablets in a strip of 10 and will cost Rs 49 per tablet in India.
Sunpharma launches Favipiravir tablet Fluguard to treat mild to moderate COVID-19 infections at Rs 35 per pill
Favipiravir is an antiviral drug that was originally made to treat influenza in Japan under the brand name Avigan.
New virus strain found in pigs in China has the potential to become a pandemic however there is no imminent risk
The study said pigs are important “mixing vessels” for the influenza virus and has asked that this potential problem be kept under surveillance.
Health
COVID-19 may last for 18-24 months and require repeated lockdown measures, says new study
Researchers studied the epidemiology of COVID-19 and the history of past influenza pandemics to model 3 potential scenarios that the pandemic might take.