Influenza virus news

Ryan Hanula, from the McGill University Health Centre in Montreal, and colleagues examined the efficacy and safety of oseltamivir in preventing hospitalization among influenza-infected adult and adolescent outpatients in a systematic review and The researchers found that within the ITTi population, oseltamivir was not associated with a reduced risk for hospitalization (risk ratio [RR], 0.77; 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 0.47 to 1.27). Oseltamivir was also not associated with a "There is a lack of convincing evidence that oseltamivir reduces serious complications in outpatients with influenza, though its use is associated with an increase in nonsevere gastrointestinal adverse events," the authors write. "This meta-analysis provides important data for clinicians, patients, and policy makers to contextualize the evidence and inform guidelines."

×Top Health Categories • Coronavirus Disease COVID-19 • Gastrointestinal Health • Artificial Intelligence • Heart Disease • Mpox • High Blood Pressure • Allergies • Lung Cancer • Alzheimer's & Dementia • Mental Health • Arthritis & Rheumatology • Pregnancy • Breast Cancer • Type 1 Diabetes • Cold, Flu & Cough • Type 2 Diabetes • Diet & Nutrition • Sexual Health • Eating Disorders • Sleep • Eye Health • By Neha Mathur Nov 17 2022 Reviewed by The Source: National Influenza Centres (NICs) and other national influenza laboratories from 105 countries, areas, or territories report data to FluNet. The latest report updated up to 30 October 2022 has data categorized by influenza transmission zones, i.e., countries/regions with similar influenza transmission patterns. In addition, it covers epidemiological and virological FluNet data for the period between 17 October 2022 and 30 October 2022. During this time, the WHO GISRS laboratories tested over 229,940 specimens. Key highlights Influenza activity increased globally, and especially influenza A(H3N2) virus subtype became predominant. Of 229,940 specimens tested, 15,723 were positive for influenza viruses. The share of influenza A and influenza B viruses was 14,589 (92.8%) and 1134 (7.2%). While all characterized B viruses belonged to the B/Victoria lineage, 1424 (21.2%) and 5284 (78.8%) of 14,589 influenza A viruses were H1N1 and H3N2, respectively. At the hemispherical level, while the upward trend in influenza activity continue...

This winter has brought a cold reminder that SARS-CoV-2 This flu season is no 100-year outbreak. But it’s the most severe flu season since the start of the pandemic. “It looks very similar to some of the worst seasons in the past 10 years,” says John Huddleston, a staff scientist in the Bedford Lab at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, where he tracks the evolution of influenza viruses. Even though this winter is comparable to other recent severe flu seasons, this one has been particularly challenging for health care workers, says Dr. Panagis Galiatsatos a pulmonary and critical care medicine physician at Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore, Md. That’s because the U.S health workforce is still coping with burnout and understaffing worsened by the pandemic. “The biggest difference that makes this year seem horrible, is that healthcare systems are probably just running on fumes. COVID has burnt us out,” says Galiatsatos. “We’re just so beaten, we’re just so tired.” Even if you’re not a health care worker, the current flu season may seem particularly severe, and to be infecting more people you know than usual. In part, that is because this flu season began This altered timeline may also have affected the public’s preparations for the flu. Galiatsatos says one reason that this year has been so bad is that some people may have gotten flu while Annual For now, the flu is declining in most of the U.S., according to the CDC’s Jan. 13 Weekly U.S. Influenza Surveillance Correction, Jan....

Influenza continues its fast and furious spread across the U.S., the Most of the worst of respiratory illnesses remain concentrated in Southern states like Alabama, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. There are signs that flu is ramping up in other areas such as Colorado, New Mexico and Texas, according to the CDC. Such widespread flu activity this early in the typical flu season hasn't been recorded in the U.S. in more than a decade. That comes ahead of what is expected to be a busy Thanksgiving travel week. "Flu hospitalization rates right now are the highest we've seen at this time of year in the past decade," Lynnette Brammer, an epidemiologist and team lead of CDC's domestic influenza surveillance team, said in an email. The unprecedented early flu surge comes amid a nationwide struggle to control a As of Nov. 12, "influenza-like illness," or ILI, activity — which includes the flu — was widespread across the South and eastern portions of the country. CDC The flu strains currently circulating, H1N1 and H3N2, tend to affect "Traditionally, we have thought that H3N2 might be more severe in adults," Schaffner said. "But it clearly is out there affecting children at the same time." Rates of flu "are highest among people 65 and older and children less than 5 years old," Brammer said. Is there a shortage of Tamiflu? The number of people diagnosed with influenza has created isolated shortages of Two other pharmacists in Indian Land, South Carolina, a suburb of Charlotte t...

Health officials are predicting this winter could see an active flu season on top of potential COVID surges. In short, it's a good year to be a respiratory virus. Left: Image of SARS-CoV-2 omicron virus particles (pink) replicating within an infected cell (teal). Right: Image of an inactive H3N2 influenza virus. hide caption toggle caption Health officials are predicting this winter could see an active flu season on top of potential COVID surges. In short, it's a good year to be a respiratory virus. Left: Image of SARS-CoV-2 omicron virus particles (pink) replicating within an infected cell (teal). Right: Image of an inactive H3N2 influenza virus. The flu virtually disappeared for two years as the pandemic raged. But influenza appears poised to stage a comeback this year in the U.S., threatening to cause a long-feared While the flu and the coronavirus are both notoriously unpredictable, there's a good chance COVID cases will surge again this winter, and troubling signs that the flu could return too. "This could very well be the year in which we see a twindemic," says Dr. The strongest indication that the flu could hit the U.S. this winter is what happened during the Southern Hemisphere's winter. Flu returned to some countries, such as Australia, where the respiratory infection started ramping up months earlier than normal, and caused one of the worst flu seasons in recent years. What happens in the Southern Hemisphere's winter often foreshadows what's going to happen north...

Heard of the triple threat this winter? COVID-19, the flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are together driving a wave of respiratory illnesses. But all three have very similar symptoms that overlap. We help you zero in on which virus you might have. Wait, what's RSV again? It stands for respiratory syncytial virus, which causes respiratory infections. RSV is one of about 200 viruses that can cause a cold — which is very common. Most cases of illness caused by RSV are mild. But it can lead to serious illness for young children, the elderly and people with immunosuppressive conditions. Contracting the virus can lead to chest infections like bronchiolitis and pneumonia. It can also cause ear infections and the coughing associated with the illness can worsen asthma symptoms. What are the symptoms of RSV? Usually, the first symptoms are: • Fever • Runny nose • Coughing • Wheezing or difficulty breathing • Decreased appetite Typically, most cases go away after about two weeks. But NSW Health says coughs associated with the virus can last for up to four weeks. Most cases of RSV are mild, but it can lead to serious illness in infants, the elderly and immunocompromised people. ( ABC Riverland: Catherine Heuzenroeder) So what's the difference between COVID, RSV and the flu? All three have very similar symptoms that overlap. COVID, influenza and RSV are all respiratory diseases, says Professor Hassan Vally, an epidemiologist at Deakin University. However, Dr Vally says they hav...

Australians are warned that they could catch a brutal strain of the flu as cases of the disease reach 100 times higher than they were last year. There have already been over 40,000 cases of laboratory-proven influenza so far in 2023, with more than 8173 cases diagnosed in the first half of May alone, according to the Australian Government’s National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System. Aussie Pharma Direct managing director Daniel Seldon said that nearly everyone will be impacted by the illness this winter if people don’t get vaccinated. Flu vaccines are readily available at pharmacies and doctors offices, and are free in many cases Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Crosling “There’s a very high chance that you will get it, I got it,” he said. “For me it was a week flat on my back and about three weeks recovering from the symptoms. More than three quarters (77 per cent) were influenza A, which has been termed the “kindy flu”, not because of its effects but because the disease has swept thorough early childhood centres and preschools. The highest rate of infection in people is those aged five to nine, followed by those aged under four and those aged 10-14 years. Despite the high number of children contracting the flu, they are among the least vaccinated with less than six per cent of those under five having received a flu vaccination, something Mr Seldon described as a “problem”. To try and prevent children bringing home unwanted germs, Mr Seldon advises parents make sure t...

Science' s COVID-19 reporting is supported by the Pulitzer Center and the Heising-Simons Foundation. In March, as the Southern Hemisphere braced for winter flu season while fighting COVID-19, epidemiologist Cheryl Cohen and colleagues at South Africa's National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) set up a plan to learn from the double whammy. They hoped to study interactions between seasonal respiratory viruses and SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19. Does infection with one change a person's risk of catching the other? How do people fare when they have both? But the flu season—and the answers—never came. NICD's Centre for Respiratory Disease and Meningitis, which Cohen leads, has logged only a single flu case since the end of March. In previous years, the country's surveillance platforms have documented, on average, about 700 cases during that period, Cohen says. "We've been doing flu surveillance since 1984, and it's unprecedented." Some cases probably got overlooked as clinics temporary closed and people with mild symptoms avoided medical offices and clinics, Cohen says. "But I don't believe it possible that we've entirely missed the flu season with all of our [surveillance] programs." Apparently, travel restrictions, school closures, social distancing, and mask wearing have all but stopped flu from spreading in South Africa. Similar stories have emerged from Australia, New Zealand, and parts of South America. The Northern Hemisphere hopes to be so lucky. Few cases...

By Dr. Tomislav Meštrović, MD, Ph.D. Reviewed by Influenza is a highly infectious viral disease that can occur as a pandemic, epidemic, outbreak and in form of sporadic cases. A majority of human infections are caused by either type A or B influenza viruses. Type A has been associated with widespread epidemics and pandemics, while type B has been infrequently implicated in regional epidemics. Influenza type C infections cause only a mild respiratory illness. Yearly influenza epidemics can affect all populations, but children younger than the age of two, adults older than 65, as well as people with chronic medical conditions or weakened immune systems, bear the highest risk of complications. The annual attack rate is estimated at 5–10% in adults and 20–30% in children. In temperate climates seasonal epidemics of the virus occur mainly during the wintertime, compared to tropical regions where it may occur throughout the year, resulting in much more irregular outbreaks. The epidemics caused by the influenza virus are estimated to result in about 3 to 5 million cases of severe illness, and up to 500 thousand deaths worldwide. Influenza virus. Image Credit: pinkeyes / Shutterstock.com Modes of transmission Influenza virus is transmitted among humans in three main ways: by direct contact with infected individuals, through contaminated objects (such as hairbrushes or towels – often called fomites) and by inhaling virus-laden aerosols. The contribution of each mode of transmission...