The Latest Breaking News from Influenza

The South African government says nearly 2.5 million chickens have been culled in an effort to contain outbreaks of two separate strains of avian influenza that have threatened to create a shortage of eggs for consumers

Research led by the Doherty Institute and UNSW shows that cells are replaced as we get older by ones less able to read threat from infections

DPH issues guidelines to prevent/control seasonal flu; only Category C patients to be tested. Mild fever/cough/sore throat (Category A) need not be tested, but should be isolated at home. Category B patients should be treated with Oseltamivir, isolated at home. Category C patients need testing, Oseltamivir, hospitalisation. Masks, vaccination advised…

Of all the recently emerging and potentially pandemic viruses, the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus H5N1 is one of the fiercest. First detected in Hong Kong in 1997, it spread to the rest of the world with a mortality rate of 60% when transmitted from birds to humans. The…

Influenza is a seasonal virus that emerges and peaks in winter, so with evenings shortening in the UK, it’s time to think about flu again.

If you test positive for COVID and you’re eligible for antivirals, you’ll likely ask your GP for a script to protect you from severe disease.

CDC approved study of the virus that caused the 1918 pandemic. Researchers wanted to recreate the virus from its genetic material. CDC installed special security measures and only one man, Terrence Tumpey, was authorised to work on it. He found the virus’s haemagglutinin and RNA polymerase genes responsible for virus'…

A highly pathogenic bird flu is currently sweeping the world – and New Zealand could be better prepared for its potential arrival.

The Spanish flu led to the infection of up to a third of the world's population and the deaths of an estimated 50 to 100 million people.

In August 1997, Johan Hultin requested permission to exhume a mass grave in Alaska, hoping to find the recipe for the deadliest virus ever known: the 1918 Spanish flu. Scientists routinely engineer viruses, but need nature to create them first. Jeffery Taubenberger wanted to understand why some flu strains caused…

COVID-19 pandemic changed the way pathogen identification is done, thanks to the application of metagenome sequencing. In a recent study, scientists in Nigeria demonstrated the surveilling power of metagenomics, including its ability to help us keep track of avian influenza outbreaks.