influenza

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Teenager With Bird Flu in Critical Condition

Teen has Canada's first human case of the virus

(Newser) - In what is believed to be Canada's first human case of bird flu, a teenager is in a British Columbia children's hospital in critical condition with a presumptive case of the virus, the CBC reports. Authorities say the unnamed teen developed symptoms Nov. 2 and was hospitalized Nov....

Another Person Diagnosed With Bird Flu in US

This is the 4th or 5th case, depending how you're counting

(Newser) - Once again amid the current bird flu outbreak, a human case has been reported in the United States. This time it's a Colorado dairy farm worker who tested positive for avian influenza, Reuters reports. Three previous cases were also found in dairy farm workers, two of whom reported mild...

US Will Pay Moderna $176M to Develop a Bird Flu Vaccine

Funds will pay for continued development of same mRNA technology used in COVID vaccines

(Newser) - The US government will pay the vaccine maker Moderna $176 million to develop a pandemic vaccine that could be used to treat bird flu in people as cases in dairy cows continue to mount across the country, federal officials announced Tuesday. The funds are targeted for release through the US...

Bird Flu Spreads to US Cattle, Goats
Bird Flu Spreads
to US Cattle, Goats
Mar 26, 2024 11:10 AM CDT

Bird Flu Spreads to US Cattle, Goats

Commercial milk supply is said to be safe, though, per officials

(Newser) - A week after officials in Minnesota said bird flu had been found for the first time in US livestock—specifically, goats living on a farm with infected poultry—the virus has been found to have spread to dairy cows in Texas and Kansas, per the AP . The highly pathogenic avian...

In California's 'Egg Basket,' a Fast-Spreading 'Trauma'

Poultry farmers forced to kill million-plus birds to control outbreak of avian flu in Sonoma County

(Newser) - Last month, Mike Weber got the news every poultry farmer fears: His chickens tested positive for avian flu. Following government rules, Weber's company, Sunrise Farms, had to slaughter its entire flock of egg-laying hens—550,000 birds—to prevent the disease from infecting other farms in Sonoma County, north...

Hundreds of Animal Species Hit by 'Catastrophic' Flu Strain

Elephant seals, seabirds, and now a polar bear—could humans be hit hard next with H5N1?

(Newser) - "It is catastrophic ... the largest die-off for the species, period." That's how Martin Mendez, a marine biologist with the Wildlife Conservation Society, describes to the Washington Post the fate of hundreds of elephant seals last fall in Argentina, found dead along the shore of the Valdes Peninsula....

UK Has an Unwanted First: Human Case of Swine Flu

At least 50 cases have been reported worldwide since 2005, so far with little consequence

(Newser) - The UK has joined a club it would have rather avoided: countries in which a human caught a case of swine flu. The unidentified patient has fully recovered from what was described as a mild illness, reports New Scientist . Health authorities say the person didn't work with pigs—the...

Updated COVID Shots Part of Plan to Avoid 'Tripledemic'

Approval of updated vaccines expected within days, just in time for flu and RSV season

(Newser) - Updated COVID-19 vaccines are coming soon, just in time to pair them with flu shots. Doctors hope enough people get vaccinated to help avert another "tripledemic" like last year, when hospitals were overwhelmed with an early flu season, an onslaught of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and yet another winter...

When It Comes to Bird Flu, 'It's a New War'

Virus emerges in record amounts, and in new places, meaning it may be here to stay

(Newser) - Will bird flu lead to the next pandemic? That's the question making the headline rounds of late, and the short answer is—it's possible, though the threat isn't currently high. What is the concern of the moment is that wild birds have spread avian influenza, which is...

Drug Chains Restrict Purchase of Children's Meds

Demand as respiratory illnesses thrive forces CVS, Walgreens to limit amount customers can buy

(Newser) - Parents on the hunt for medication for their sick kids may not be able to immediately find what they need on drugstore shelves, thanks to a spike in various respiratory illnesses and, therefore, higher demand for those meds. CNN reports that the CVS and Walgreens chains have placed limits on...

44 States Report High Flu Activity
44 States Report
High Flu Activity
Dec 3, 2022 5:30 AM CST

44 States Report High Flu Activity

Winter flu season usually doesn't get going until December or January, but this one started early

(Newser) - The US flu season keeps getting worse. Health officials said Friday that 7.5% of outpatient medical visits last week were due to flu-like illnesses. That's as high as the peak of the 2017-18 flu season and higher than any season since, the AP reports. The annual winter flu...

We Haven't Seen a Flu Season This Intense Since 2009

CDC says we're seeing hospitalization case levels we usually don't see till December

(Newser) - The CDC's weekly influenza report is out, and it's got concerning news on an atypically early flu season, with a "dramatic" surge in hospitalizations for flu over the past few weeks that have reached levels the US normally doesn't see until December. The health agency reports...

With This Year's Flu Vaccine, a 'Major Mismatch'
With This Year's Flu Vaccine,
a 'Major Mismatch'
NEW STUDY
Dec 17, 2021 8:35 AM CST

With This Year's Flu Vaccine, a 'Major Mismatch'

Scientists say vax isn't helping much to prevent infection, but can still fend off serious illness, death

(Newser) - Health experts, including those at the CDC , are urging the public to not only get vaccinated against COVID, but also against the flu. New research suggests, however, that one of the main strains of the influenza virus that's now going around has mutated, and that this year's flu...

CDC Investigates 'Unusual' Flu Outbreak at University

University of Michigan surge in cases could be a sign of things to come for the rest of country

(Newser) - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention experts have been sent to the University of Michigan's Ann Arbor campus to learn more about a surge in flu cases—and what it might mean for the rest of the country as flu season approaches. Some 528 cases have been diagnosed at...

COVID's Death Toll Catches 1918 Flu's

One model shows another 100,000 people will be killed by January

(Newser) - COVID-19 has now killed about as many Americans as the 1918-19 Spanish flu pandemic did—approximately 675,000. The US population a century ago was one-third of what it is today, meaning the flu cut a much bigger, more lethal swath through the country. But the COVID-19 crisis is by...

This Year's Flu Numbers Are Kind of Stunning
This Year's Flu Numbers
Are Kind of Stunning
in case you missed it
Jan 24, 2021 1:41 PM CST

This Year's Flu Numbers Are Kind of Stunning

Almost nobody is getting it amid the pandemic

(Newser) - It may be hard to fathom, but the pandemic seems to have an upside, too: The flu is pretty much nonexistent this year. Popular Science delivers the remarkable stat: In 2019, the US recorded 65,000 cases from late September to late December. In 2020, that figure dropped to 1,...

California Patient Has Flu, COVID Co-Infection

It's the first such co-infection reported in Solano County

(Newser) - Experts have been warning of a "twindemic" during the fall and winter months, with both coronavirus and seasonal influenza potentially running rampant in the US—and states have begun reporting patients who do indeed have both viruses simultaneously . The latest co-infection to be reported is out of Solano County,...

Computer Model Forecasts a 'Very Deadly December'

Along with COVID-19, doctors are also worried about a 'twindemic' of the virus and flu

(Newser) - Dr. Anthony Fauci cautioned Thursday that Americans should prepare to "hunker down" for the fall and winter to keep COVID-19 at bay, and a new computer model is lending weight to that warning. CNN reports that the University of Washington's influential Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation forecast...

Now Scientists Are Warning About a Scary New Flu Virus

Virus can be transmitted from pigs to humans, but scientists worry it will mutate further

(Newser) - The year 2020 really is the gift that keeps on giving: Now researchers are warning that an influenza virus with the potential to become a pandemic has been discovered in China. Called G4 EA H1N1, the flu virus is carried by pigs but has already been transmitted to a small...

For 101-Year-Old Virus Patient, a 'Truly Extraordinary' Recovery

'Mr. P' was born in 1919, during the Spanish flu pandemic

(Newser) - The New York Post is calling him a "living marvel," while Forbes deems his case "miraculous." At the very least, a 101-year-old Italian man is making headlines after being released from the hospital after recovering from the coronavirus. CNN reports that "Mr. P" was admitted...

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