Influenza

When most people think of vaccines their first thought is often the flu shot. For many patients, especially older patients there are other conditions to consider as well.

While many people get their flu vaccine on a yearly basis there are some who are still hesitant while others simply refuse. New modes of delivery and new guidelines aim to help answer some lingering questions patients may have.

The flu season of 2014 was one of the worst in recent memory which brought up questions about the flu vaccine which patients received in order to prevent contracting the disease. The answers for those questions could provide better results in years to come.

October has been pinpointed as the start of flu season in the United States. So if prevention of the contagious illness isn't enough to convince patients to get their influenza vaccine, a new analysis involving stroke risk just might.

A new diagnostic test, dubbed ViroCap, appears to detect virtually any virus that can infect humans and animals, according to the findings of a research group at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

Although there was widespread circulation of influenza viruses that were antigenically drifted from the vaccine virus, last year's flu vaccine appears to have been effective in preventing severe illness requiring hospitalization.

IDWeek has become much more integrated and does an excellent job in helping specialists take their shared information to make their clinical practices better.

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Influenza vaccination among adults aged 18 to 64 appears to be associated with decreased rates of illness related to influenza among elderly adults living in the same area, according to Cleveland Clinic Research.

Not all flu virus strains are created equal. After all, some are better equipped to transmit from host to host than others and new research has pinpointed an intricate factor that allows the virus to do so through the air.

The benefits and risks of vaccinations have been in the forefront of the news lately, especially with children going back to school and presidential debates heating up. Although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) continuously advise that all eligible candidates receive a vaccine, some remain skeptical. The National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) hosted their annual news conference to discuss the 2014-2015 flu vaccine outcomes and what you need to know as we approach the next season.

Cold season is officially here and for the next several months many people will be loading up on vitamin C in hopes of keeping the common, but physically draining, illness at bay. However, gorging on oranges is not necessarily the answer to making it through without the sniffles – but extra sleep might be.

The debate over whether influenza vaccines are valuable in elderly patients may be put to end as a study from Brown University has verified that the strategy has made a positive impact.

A new strategy may be able to effectively prevent transmission of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), other sexually transmitted viruses, and additional illnesses.

Researchers from the University of Utah School of Medicine claimed large familial units experience viral infections more often - 87% of the year to be exact.

The current nasal spray flu vaccine on the market is not approved for all age groups – so what's another option for those excluded individuals besides the flu shot? Researchers may have found a way to broaden the range on the nasal spray.

Japanese research suggests that influenza vaccination using a dissolving microneedle patch made of hyaluronic acid appears to be promising for practical use as an easy and effective method to replace conventional injection systems.

Some states experience more preventable disease outbreaks than others, and at least part of the blame can be put on vaccination exemption laws.

Despite the fact that older adults are more susceptible to complications from vaccine-preventable infections, this group as a whole is not reaching target goals.

A dissolvable microneedle patch provides just as much protection against the flu as typical needle delivered vaccines, according to researchers from Osaka University.

Fresh off the heels of research revealing that this year's flu vaccine was only effective in one out of 4 people, investigators are now taking steps to develop a universal vaccine.

It has been estimated that only one out of 4 people who received the 2014-2015 flu vaccine were protected from the illness.

Most pediatric pneumonia cases are caused by respiratory viruses, not bacterial infections, according to findings published in NEMJ.

A second trial of intranasal flu vaccines in children with egg allergies has reached the same conclusion as the first: The trace amounts of egg protein do not trigger systemic reactions such as anaphylaxis.

Researchers are monitoring swine influenza viruses as part of ongoing work to prepare for the next potential virulent strain of flu.

While 7,300 deaths a year in nursing homes are attributed to influenza, a study published in the American Journal of Infection Control claimed that only 54% of staff were vaccinated.

Endoscopically guided removal of bridging tissue between ostia can alleviate sinusitis, congestion, and other symptoms caused by mucous recirculation.

Oseltamivir, aka Tamiflu, shortened the duration of symptoms by about one day and reduced the likelihood of having a respiratory infection by 44 percent, according to researchers from the University of Michigan, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and University of Alabama.

The CDC has deemed the 2014-2015 flu season as reaching epidemic proportions. In part 2 of our flu series interview with Rob Pedowitz, DO, from CentraState Healthcare System, discusses what makes it an epidemic as well as issues with the current flu vaccine.

When diagnosing patients with the flu many doctors go with their instincts and symptoms over tests that have not always been able to diagnose various strains of the virus.