flu

Researchers have discovered a new class of antibodies capable of neutralizing various flu virus strains, potentially aiding in the development of more broadly protective flu vaccines. This breakthrough, to be published in PLOS Biology, emphasizes the importance of diversifying flu vaccine production methods and provides new avenues for vaccine design.The findings may assist in creating vaccines that offer wider protection against various flu strains.Researchers led by Holly Simmons from the University of Pittsburgh School…

Almost 96 percent of Southern elephant seal pups across Argentina born in 2023 have met a tragic end as a highly contagious strain of avian influenza continues to wreak havoc on wildlife.The scale of mortality sparks concerns that the H5N1 strain is now capable of mammal-to-mammal infection."The sight of elephant seals found dead or dying along the breeding beaches can only be described as apocalyptic," says Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) health director Chris Walzer.The three beaches where the species breeds were…

Climate change is a threat to polar bear's survival. Now they have a new deadly challenge facing them: bird flu. It was recently confirmed that a polar bear from northern Alaska has died from the disease.The current strain of H5N1 influenza has affected a far wider range of species than any previously recorded strain. This has included several mammal species, such as foxes, otters, mink, sea lions and seals (including, for the first time, seals in Antarctica).Cases have been detected in humans, too.However, while some…

Since 2021, all dominant Covid variants have descended from Omicron. The 2023–2024 booster was tailored for the XBB.1.5 strain of Omicron, but JN.1 is about as different from XBB.1.5 as Omicron was from Delta. Even so, researchers from China and the US have posted preliminary analyses suggesting that the newest vaccines still effectively defend against JN.1.That is, if people keep up with their vaccinations—and most haven’t. Over 80 percent of people in the US have not yet received the updated 2023–2024 booster shot, the…

By Washington University in St. Louis December 31, 2023A study comparing COVID-19 and seasonal influenza shows both viruses can cause significant long-term health issues post-hospitalization, with COVID-19 affecting multiple organ systems and the flu mainly impacting the respiratory system. Study shows patients hospitalized for flu or COVID-19 face increased risk of long-term health problems and death.Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, extensive research has emerged detailing the virus’s ability to attack multiple organ…

COVID-19 and flu are rising across California, sparking new warnings from health officials to take precautions as the wider winter holiday season looms. The uptick is modest and not wholly unexpected — wintertime surges have been an annual occurrence since the coronavirus first emerged. But experts say lagging uptake of the latest reformulated vaccines has left some populations particularly vulnerable to severe health outcomes that are largely preventable at this point.Over the week that ended Dec. 9, 2,449…

The first human case of a new strain of swine flu has been detected in the UK, and health officials are trying to determine the virus's origin.On Monday, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) verified that a person tested positive for Influenza A H1N2v, a distinct but similar virus to the flu viruses spreading in pigs across the country.According to preliminary data, the H1N2 infection in the UK is genetically unique from other recent human cases globally, specified by its clade or form, 1b.1.1."We are working rapidly to…

Britain said on Monday it had detected a first human case of flu strain A(H1N2)v, which is similar to a virus currently circulating in pigs, and that the individual concerned had experienced a mild illness and fully recovered.…

To work better than current formulas, a superior vaccine would need to anticipate the genetic drift of mutation and protect against more strains than circulate in a single season, plus confer protection for more than a handful of months. In a research agenda it first set in 2018, the NIH defined the goal of a universal vaccine as being at least 75 percent effective for at least one season, and preferably longer, against at least the group of viruses known as influenza A, which cause most recorded cases. (There’s also a…

In a bizarre development,…