80 years ago today: MRC researchers discover viral cause of flu | Michael Bresalier
Forget bird flu and swine flu, it was ferret flu and The Field magazine that helped MRC scientists discover the influenza virus, after eleven years of dedicated research.In the spring of 1933 a team of Medical Research Council (MRC) staff gathered nasal fluids and throat garglings from a sick researcher, filtered them, and dripped them into ferrets. Within forty-eight hours the ferrets would start sneezing and displaying signs of an influenza-like disease. This research formed the basis of an extraordinarily important Lancet paper by Wilson Smith, Christopher H Andrewes and Patrick Laidlaw, published on 8 July 1933, identi...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - July 8, 2013 Category: Science Tags: Blogposts guardian.co.uk Medical research History of science Source Type: news
Well: Study Finds No Vaccine Link to Guillain-Barré
Concerns about vaccines and the neurological disorder Guillain-Barré syndrome arose after the swine flu epidemic of 1976, but a new analysis found no link between the illness and vaccines for flu or other disorders. (Source: NYT Health)
Source: NYT Health - June 27, 2013 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: By NICHOLAS BAKALAR Tags: Influenza Body Tetanus Guillain-Barre Syndrome Featured Vaccination and Immunization Source Type: news
Older People May Be Protected From Influenza By Their Saliva
Spit. Drool. Dribble. Saliva is not normally a topic of polite conversation, but it may be the key to explaining the age and sex bias exhibited by influenza and other diseases, according to a new study. Published in ACS' Journal of Proteome Research, it provides new insights into why older people were better able to fight off the new strains of "bird" flu and "swine" flu than younger people. Zheng Li and colleagues explain that saliva does more than start the process of digesting certain foods. Saliva also contains germ-fighting proteins that are a first-line defense against infections... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)
Source: Health News from Medical News Today - June 16, 2013 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Bird Flu / Avian Flu Source Type: news
Saliva proteins may protect older people from influenza
(American Chemical Society) Spit. Drool. Dribble. Saliva is not normally a topic of polite conversation, but it may be the key to explaining the age and sex bias exhibited by influenza and other diseases, according to a new study. Published in ACS' Journal of Proteome Research, it provides new insights into why older people were better able to fight off the new strains of "bird" flu and "swine" flu than younger people. (Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health)
Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health - June 12, 2013 Category: Global & Universal Source Type: news
Clinical confirmation of H7N9 virus resistance to Tamiflu
Genetic testing confirms antiviral resistanceRelated items from OnMedicaScientists confirm transmission of influenza A H7N9 from birds to peopleResistance to Tamiflu - 'to be expected' says RocheQuestions remain about effectiveness of Tamiflu, experts warnDrug giant agrees to release all Tamiflu trial dataTamiflu cut illness in swine flu (Source: OnMedica Latest News)
Source: OnMedica Latest News - May 29, 2013 Category: UK Health Source Type: news
Boosting Body's Natural Killers May Be The Way Forward For Fighting Flu
A known difficulty in fighting influenza (flu) is the ability of the flu viruses to mutate and thus evade various medications that were previously found to be effective. Researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have shown recently that another, more promising, approach is to focus on improving drugs that boost the body's natural flu killer system. Emergence of new influenza strains, such as the recent avian influenza (H5N1) and swine influenza (H1N1 2009), can lead to the emergence of severe pandemics that pose a major threat to the entire world population... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)
Source: Health News from Medical News Today - May 28, 2013 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Flu / Cold / SARS Source Type: news
Swine Flu, Bird Flu And Pandemic Vaccination
As the world prepares for what may be the next pandemic strain of influenza virus, in the H7N9 bird flu, a new UC Irvine study reveals that the 2009 H1N1 swine flu pandemic was deadliest for people under the age of 65, while those 65 and over had greater immunity due to previous exposure to similar viruses. Deaths from flu pandemics tend to skew younger than those from seasonal flu because of "antigenic recycling," or the fact that some parts of flu viruses have already made the rounds... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)
Source: Health News from Medical News Today - May 25, 2013 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Swine Flu Source Type: news
2009 H1N1 swine flu deadliest for those age 65 and younger
IRVINE, Calif., May 24 (UPI) -- There were 53,692 pneumonia and influenza U.S. deaths in the 2009 H1N1 swine flu pandemic and the hardest hit were those age 65 and younger, researchers say. (Source: Health News - UPI.com)
Source: Health News - UPI.com - May 24, 2013 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
Well: Aging: Fewer Elderly Deaths in Flu Pandemics
Age has its privileges, and a new study suggests that one of them may be immunity to some flu pandemics. (Source: NYT Health)
Source: NYT Health - May 22, 2013 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: By NICHOLAS BAKALAR Tags: Epidemics Elderly Influenza Deaths (Fatalities) Body Swine Influenza Featured swine flu Aging Source Type: news
Swine flu pandemic of 2009 more deadly for younger adults, UCI study finds
(University of California - Irvine) As the world prepares for what may be the next pandemic strain of influenza virus, in the H7N9 bird flu, a new UC Irvine study reveals that the 2009 H1N1 swine flu pandemic was deadliest for people under the age of 65, while those 65 and over had greater immunity due to previous exposure to similar viruses. (Source: EurekAlert! - Infectious and Emerging Diseases)
Source: EurekAlert! - Infectious and Emerging Diseases - May 22, 2013 Category: Infectious Diseases Source Type: news
Discovery Of H1N1 In Marine Mammals
Scientists at the University of California, Davis, detected the H1N1 (2009) virus in free-ranging northern elephant seals off the central California coast a year after the human pandemic began, according to a study published in the journal PLOS ONE. It is the first report of that flu strain in any marine mammal. "We thought we might find influenza viruses, which have been found before in marine mammals, but we did not expect to find pandemic H1N1," said lead author Tracey Goldstein, an associate professor with the UC Davis One Health Institute and Wildlife Health Center... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)
Source: Health News from Medical News Today - May 17, 2013 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Swine Flu Source Type: news
New bird flu strain requires vigilance researchers warn
Conclusion
This is important research tracking the origins of the new H7N9 bird flu virus, which gives some clues about how it might behave in the future. Scientists are particularly concerned that a future mutation could mean it is transmitted between humans, which increases the risk of a pandemic (an epidemic of infection across countries or continents).
For travellers to China and other countries affected by bird flu, it's important to observe the following precautions:
avoid visiting live animal markets and poultry farms
avoid contact with surfaces that are contaminated with animal faeces
don't eat or ha...
Source: NHS News Feed - May 2, 2013 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Genetics/stem cells Medical practice Source Type: news
Scientists concerned at H7N9 bird flu outbreak that has killed 24 people
• Virus killing a fifth of those infected in China• World Health Organisation considers it a serious threatScientists are seriously concerned about a new bird flu virus that is causing severe disease in China, killing a fifth of all those it infects.So far, the virus, known as H7N9, is being transmitted only to humans from chickens, but there are worries that it could mutate into a form that could be passed from one person to another. Five mutations are known to be necessary for that to happen – H7N9 already has two of them. If that occurred, it could spread worldwide with lethal effect.According to the World Health ...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - May 1, 2013 Category: Science Authors: Sarah Boseley Tags: Bird flu Asia Pacific World news Infectious diseases Health guardian.co.uk Medical research Microbiology China Editorial Science Source Type: news
Scientists confirm transmission of influenza A H7N9 from birds to people
Virus showing signs of mammal adaptation, raising possibility of person to person infectionRelated items from OnMedicaExperts issue warning over bird flu resurgence Coronavirus can spread between peopleControversial avian flu studies can be publishedUK population took fewest steps to prevent spread of swine fluClimate change may increase flu severity (Source: OnMedica Latest News)
Source: OnMedica Latest News - April 26, 2013 Category: UK Health Source Type: news
Sewage Study Reveals Half Of Tamiflu Prescriptions Went Unused During 2009 H1N1 Swine Flu Pandemic
A new study concludes that approximately half of the prescriptions of Tamiflu during the 2009-10 influenza pandemic went unused in England. The unused medication represents approximately 600,000 courses of Tamiflu at a cost of around 7.8 million pounds to the UK taxpayer. The novel scientific method used in the study could help measure and improve the effectiveness of future pandemic flu strategies... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)
Source: Health News from Medical News Today - April 20, 2013 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Flu / Cold / SARS Source Type: news
