Ghana: A H3N2 Flu Under Control
[Ghanaian Times] A strange disease confirmed to be a seasonal flu- A H3N2 has attacked students of three senior high schools (SHS) in the Lower Manya Krobo Municipality in the Eastern Region. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)
Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine - November 6, 2019 Category: African Health Source Type: news
Broadly protective human antibodies that target the active site of influenza virus neuraminidase
We describe three human monoclonal antibodies isolated from an H3N2-infected donor that bind with exceptional breadth to multiple different influenza A and B virus neuraminidases. These antibodies neutralize the virus, mediate effector functions, are broadly protective in vivo, and inhibit neuraminidase activity by directly binding to the active site. Structural and functional characterization of these antibodies will inform the development of neuraminidase-based universal vaccines against influenza virus. (Source: ScienceNOW)
Source: ScienceNOW - October 23, 2019 Category: Science Authors: Stadlbauer, D., Zhu, X., McMahon, M., Turner, J. S., Wohlbold, T. J., Schmitz, A. J., Strohmeier, S., Yu, W., Nachbagauer, R., Mudd, P. A., Wilson, I. A., Ellebedy, A. H., Krammer, F. Tags: Immunology, Medicine, Diseases reports Source Type: news
NHS is 'scrambling for flu jabs that protect against the deadly Aussie strain'
Every February, the World Health Organization assesses which strains of the flu virus it expects to be circulating the following winter. The emergence of the 'Aussie' H3N2 strain delayed this by a month. (Source: the Mail online | Health)
Source: the Mail online | Health - July 19, 2019 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
This Past Flu Season Was the Longest in 10 Years, the CDC Says
The 2018-2019 flu season may not have been as severe as the one that came before it, but it set a record of its own, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) say. It was the longest in a decade, lasting 21 weeks.
Fewer illnesses, hospitalizations and deaths were reported this year than during last year’s notoriously brutal flu season, earning the 2018-2019 season an overall severity rating of “moderate,” according to a new CDC recap. But the length and trajectory of the most recent flu season—which began in November, peaked in mid-February and trailed off in April—was unique, the C...
Source: TIME: Health - June 20, 2019 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Jamie Ducharme Tags: Uncategorized public health Source Type: news
H3N2 viruses mutate during vaccine production but new tech could fix it
(University of Wisconsin-Madison) A new technology developed by the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Yoshihiro Kawaoka may make H3N2 vaccine development a bit easier. In Nature Microbiology today [April 29, 2019], Kawaoka and his team describe a new cell line that enables better growth of H3N2 for vaccine use. The virus is also far less likely to mutate during production using this cell line, improving the chances of a match between vaccine and circulating influenza viruses. (Source: EurekAlert! - Infectious and Emerging Diseases)
Source: EurekAlert! - Infectious and Emerging Diseases - April 29, 2019 Category: Infectious Diseases Source Type: news
It's Spring, but Flu Still Threatens, CDC Says
Early estimates suggest this year's flu vaccine, overall, is about 47% effective. It is generally less effective against the influenza A (H3N2) than other virus types. (Source: WebMD Health)
Source: WebMD Health - April 2, 2019 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
Flu Season Isn ’t Over Yet — and More Serious Strains Are On the Rise, CDC Says
Flu season has been relatively mild in the U.S. this year. But even though it’s late in the season — flu activity tends to wrap up by May — influenza viruses are still circulating, according to a recent health alert from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
H3N2, an influenza strain known to cause more severe illnesses, is now making up a greater proportion of cases than it did early in the season, while lower-severity H1N1 and influenza B viruses are dropping off, the CDC says. Flu shots tend to protect against H1N1 and influenza B better than they do against H3N2.
Given those trends, ...
Source: TIME: Health - April 1, 2019 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Jamie Ducharme Tags: Uncategorized public health Source Type: news
Flu Season Is Still Going, A New More Severe Strain Now Circulating
H3N2 has overtaken H1N1 as the dominant circulating flu virus strain. (Source: Forbes.com Healthcare News)
Source: Forbes.com Healthcare News - March 17, 2019 Category: Pharmaceuticals Authors: Bruce Y. Lee, Contributor Source Type: news
CDC: Flu Season May Not Have Peaked, Another Wave Of Severe Infections Underway
(CNN) — Flu activity remains high across the nation, and there’s a second wave of severe infections striking some states.
There were as many as 26.3 million flu illnesses, 12.4 million medical visits and 347,000 flu hospitalizations between October 1 and March 2, according to the weekly flu report released Friday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“We’re still having flu. And we’re still seeing a steady stream of patients who are being admitted to hospital with influenza,” said Dr. William Schaffner, medical director of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases.
...
Source: WBZ-TV - Breaking News, Weather and Sports for Boston, Worcester and New Hampshire - March 8, 2019 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Health – CBS Boston Tags: Health News CNN Flu Source Type: news
Could CRISPR Diagnostics Provide a Valuable Weapon in the Fight against Pandemic Flu?
Conclusion: What Could This Mean for CRISPR Diagnostics?
While any point-of-care testsâwhether existing nucleic acid assays or CRISPR diagnostics as discussed in this articleâarenât going to assist in identifying the completely unknown, they will provide some of the solution once the pathogen has been identified. Then with the need for specific tests to be rushed out all over the world, the potential speed of CRISPR assay development, particularly if pre-amplification were not required, might come into its own. These tests would be distributed quickly around the world b...
Source: MDDI - March 8, 2019 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Paul Wilkins Tags: IVD Source Type: news
More Severe Flu Strain Starts to Spread Widely
At the start of the flu season, the main strain was influenza A H1N1, but now a more severe strain, influenza A H3N2, accounts for nearly half of all the new cases, the CDC says. (Source: WebMD Health)
Source: WebMD Health - February 22, 2019 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
Earlier Oseltamivir May Cut Death Risk in Influenza A/H3N2 (CME/CE)
(MedPage Today) -- No effect on mortality was observed for H1N1 and influenza B patients (Source: MedPage Today Primary Care)
Source: MedPage Today Primary Care - February 19, 2019 Category: Primary Care Source Type: news
This Year ’ s Flu Shot Less Than 50% Effective, According To CDC
By Susan Scutti, CNN
(CNN) — Don’t let your guard down: The US flu season is expected to continue for several more weeks, with activity across the nation now elevated, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Thursday. A flu shot is still recommended for those who have neglected to get one, but the CDC estimated this year’s vaccine’s overall effectiveness in preventing an infection at just 47%.
The shot’s success varies based on your age, the CDC noted. Among children up to 17, its overall effectiveness against flu was 61%, while just 24% of adults 50 and older who received t...
Source: WBZ-TV - Breaking News, Weather and Sports for Boston, Worcester and New Hampshire - February 14, 2019 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Health – CBS Boston Tags: Health News CNN Flu Flu Shot Source Type: news
This Year ’s Flu Shot Was Far More Effective Than Last Year’s. Here’s Why
The 2018-2019 flu season has been a relatively mild one — and a pretty effective flu shot is part of the reason why.
Mid-season estimates suggest that the flu shot has reduced the risk of illness by around 47% in vaccinated people, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released Thursday. During the severe 2017-2018 flu season, vaccine efficacy was estimated at just 36%.
The difference is partly because the dominant influenza virus last year, H3N2, is known to cause more serious illnesses and to be less responsive to vaccination than other strains. This year, H1N1 — whic...
Source: TIME: Health - February 14, 2019 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Jamie Ducharme Tags: Uncategorized healthytime public health Source Type: news
Earlier Tamiflu May Cut Death Risk in Some Severe Cases
(MedPage Today) -- Observed 30% decrease in mortality with early oseltamivir among influenza A/H3N2 patients in ICU (Source: MedPage Today Public Health)
Source: MedPage Today Public Health - February 12, 2019 Category: American Health Source Type: news