Influenza News

November 20, 2024

Top Headlines

Eradivir's EV25 Therapeutic Reduces Advanced-Stage Influenza Viral Loads Faster, More Thoroughly in Preclinical Studies Than Current Therapies

Nov. 19, 2024 — A research article shows that Eradivir's patent-pending antiviral therapeutic called EV25 reduces lung viral loads of advanced-stage influenza in preclinical studies quicker and more effectively than ...

Key Influenza-Severity Risk Factor Found Hiding in Plain Sight on Our Antibodies

Nov. 13, 2024 — Why do some people develop severe flu symptoms? A study points the finger at an unsung portion of the antibodies our immune systems generate to fend off invading ...

RSV Vaccines Effective, but More People Need to Get Them

Oct. 28, 2024 — Doctors detail what we learned after the first season following the approval of RSV vaccines. The vaccine effectively prevented severe illness in older, but only 24 percent of eligible US adults received the vaccine, compared to 50 percent for flu ...

Could a Bout of COVID Protect You from a Severe Case of Flu?

Sep. 30, 2024 — New findings on how past viral respiratory infections affect future, unrelated ones could lead to therapies for boosting general antiviral immunity -- and potentially pandemic ...

Latest Headlines

updated 10:44pm EST

New Roles in Infectious Process for Molecule That Inhibits Flu

Nov. 14, 2024 — Researchers have identified new roles for a protein long known to protect against severe flu infection -- among them, raising the minimum number of viral particles needed to cause ...

H5N1 Virus Isolated from Infected Dairy Worker Is 100% Lethal in Ferrets, but Does Not Appear to Be Circulating in Nature Anymore

Oct. 28, 2024 — A strain of H5N1 avian influenza virus found in a Texas dairy worker who was infected this spring was able to spread among ferrets through the air, ...

Getting the Flu and Then Your Shot May Benefit Immunity

Sep. 30, 2024 — Researchers found that natural immunity from previous flu infections has a significant impact on how well future influenza vaccinations ...

'Food Theft' Among Seabirds Could Be Transmission Point for Deadly Avian Flu

Sep. 16, 2024 — If seabirds can catch avian flu by stealing food from infectious birds, it gives scientists a clue where to monitor for outbreaks among these ...

Universal Flu Vaccine Candidate Protects Against Infection in Mice

Aug. 22, 2024 — A new flu vaccine candidate incorporates proteins from 8 strains of ...

T Helper Cells May Be the Key to Improving Annual Influenza Vaccines

Aug. 20, 2024 — Scientists have discovered why the flu vaccine can perform poorly. They found that a specific type of immune cell, called T follicular helper cells, indirectly controls the anti-influenza response. ...

New Insights on How Bird Flu Crosses the Species Barrier

Aug. 19, 2024 — The avian influenza virus needs to mutate to cross the species barrier and to infect and replicate within mammalian cells. Scientists have now deciphered the structure of the avian influenza virus's ...

Nasal Spray Flu Vaccine Candidate Shows Promise When Administered Alongside High Dose Annual Shot

Aug. 15, 2024 — A unique influenza vaccine candidate that's inhaled appears safe and could bolster protection against seasonal and pandemic influenza for people ...

New Two-Step Flu Vaccine Strategy Shows Promise in Pig Model

Aug. 9, 2024 — A new, two-step flu vaccination strategy that pairs intramuscular injection of a viral vectored flu vaccine with nasal spray administration of a novel attenuated live flu virus appears to be safe and ...

Nasal COVID-19 Vaccine Halts Transmission, Animal Study Finds

July 31, 2024 — A nasal COVID-19 vaccine blocks transmission of the virus, according to an animal study. The findings suggest that vaccines delivered directly to the nose or mouth could play a critical role in ...

New Study Traces Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Global Movement and Evolution of Seasonal Flu

Nov. 7, 2024 — Increased capabilities for genomic surveillance have offered new insights into global viral evolution. Seasonal flu showed a 'remarkable' bounce back to pre-pandemic levels once ...

H5 Influenza Vaccines: What Needs to Be Done to Reduce the Risk of a Pandemic

Sep. 4, 2024 — As the global threat of H5N1 influenza looms with outbreaks across species and continents including the U.S., three international vaccine and public health experts say it is time to fully resource ...

Late Start of COVID Treatment May Still Benefit Immunocompromised Patients, Study Finds

Sep. 3, 2024 — Starting antiviral treatment as late as 14 days after infection with SARS-CoV-2 may still be beneficial in hosts with compromised immune systems, who are at greatest risk of developing severe ...

Fetal Brain Impacted When Mom Fights Severe Flu: New Mouse Study Explains How

July 29, 2024 — New research using live mouse-adapted influenza virus improves upon previous mouse experiments to explain how maternal infection impacts fetal brain development. The study also indicates fetal brain ...

New Study Confirms Mammal-to-Mammal Avian Flu Spread

July 24, 2024 — A new study provides evidence that a spillover of avian influenza from birds to dairy cattle across several U.S. states has now led to mammal-to-mammal transmission -- between cows and from cows to ...

Study Shows Promise for a Universal Influenza Vaccine

July 19, 2024 — New research reveals a promising approach to developing a universal influenza vaccine -- a so-called 'one and done' vaccine that confers lifetime immunity against an evolving virus. The ...

Influenza Viruses Can Use Two Ways to Infect Cells

July 17, 2024 — Most influenza viruses enter human or animal cells through specific pathways on the cells' surface. Researchers have now discovered that certain human flu viruses and avian flu viruses can also ...

Receptors Make Dairy Cows a Prime Target for Influenza

July 15, 2024 — A study helps explain why dairy cows infected by highly pathogenic avian influenza are shedding the virus in their milk. Their findings could help develop biosecurity measures aimed at slowing the ...

Raw Milk Is Risky, but Airborne Transmission of H5N1 from Cow's Milk Is Inefficient in Mammals

July 8, 2024 — While H5N1 avian influenza virus taken from infected cow's milk makes mice and ferrets sick when dripped into their noses, airborne transmission of the virus between ferrets -- a common model ...

Pasteurization Inactivates Highly Infectious Avian Flu in Milk, Study Suggests

July 3, 2024 — Researchers found no infectious virus in the sampled pasteurized milk products tested for ...

Low-Dose Aspirin Could Help Prevent Pregnancy Complications Caused by Flu Infections

July 2, 2024 — A world-first study has found low-dose aspirin may treat flu-induced blood vessel inflammation, creating better blood flow to the placenta during ...

Bird Flu Stays Stable on Milking Equipment for at Least One Hour

June 27, 2024 — H5N1 virus in unpasteurized milk is stable on metal and rubber components of commercial milking equipment for at least one hour, increasing its potential to infect people and other ...

Think You Might Have COVID? Wait Two Days to Test, Research Suggests

June 25, 2024 — A new study provides insight on how to make a new generation of rapid tests, including COVID, flu, RSV, and all-in-one tests, work ...

Simple Test for Flu Could Improve Diagnosis and Surveillance

June 21, 2024 — Fewer than one percent of people who get the flu every year get tested, in part because most tests require trained personnel and expensive equipment. Now researchers have developed a low-cost paper ...

Infectious H5N1 Influenza Virus in Raw Milk Rapidly Declines With Heat Treatment

June 14, 2024 — The amount of infectious H5N1 influenza viruses in raw milk rapidly declined with heat treatment in laboratory research. However, small, detectable amounts of infectious virus remained in raw milk ...

More Hospitals Than Ever Require Staff to Get Flu Shots, U.S. Study Finds

June 14, 2024 — As hospitals and health systems begin to prepare for flu vaccination campaigns, a new study shows that 96% of the hospitals that serve America's veterans, and 74% of hospitals serving the ...

Antibodies May Aid Effort to Fight Influenza B

May 31, 2024 — Researchers have isolated human monoclonal antibodies against influenza B, a significant public health threat that disproportionately affects children, the elderly and other immunocompromised ...

N95 Masks Near-Perfect at Blocking Escape of Airborne COVID-19, Research Shows

May 30, 2024 — In a head-to-head comparison of masks worn by people with active COVID-19, the inexpensive 'duckbill' N95 came out on top, stopping 98% of COVID-19 particles in the breath of infected ...

Bird Flu: Diverse Range of Vaccines Platforms 'Crucial' for Enhancing Human Pandemic Preparedness

May 29, 2024 — Review of research to-date suggests vaccination remains the most effective strategy for avian influenza prevention and control in humans, despite varying vaccine efficacy across ...

High H5N1 Influenza Levels Found in Mice Given Raw Milk from Infected Dairy Cows

May 24, 2024 — Mice administered raw milk samples from dairy cows infected with H5N1 influenza experienced high virus levels in their respiratory organs and lower virus levels in other vital organs, according to ...