Influenza

Children With Egg Allergies Can Safely Receive Flu Vaccine

Egg-allergic children, including those with a history of anaphylaxis to egg, can safely receive a single dose of the seasonal influenza vaccine, according to a new study from the University of Michigan. Historically, the CDC recommended that the seasonal influenza vaccine ...More
January 22, 2013
Posted in News
Health Law Expert Says Flu Vaccines Should be Mandated for Healthcare Workers

The widespread flu reports are a harsh reminder of the importance of influenza vaccines; this is particularly true for healthcare workers, says Elizabeth Sepper, JD, health law expert and professor of law at Washington University in St. Louis. “One-third of healthcare ...More
January 21, 2013
Posted in News, Policies and Practice, PPE & Standard Precautions
Monitoring Immune Function in Children with Flu Reveals Immune Suppression in Non-Survivors

Investigators from 15 children’s medical centers, including Nationwide Children’s Hospital, observed and evaluated critically ill children with influenza to evaluate the relationships between levels of systemic inflammation, immune function and likelihood to die from the ...More
January 21, 2013
Posted in News
JAMA Commentary Explores Common Arguments Against Influenza Vaccination

JAMA has posted a Viewpoint titled “Influenza Prevention Update: Examining Common Arguments Against Influenza Vaccination.” In this Viewpoint, Thomas R. Talbot, MD, MPH, and H. Keipp Talbot, MD, MPH, from the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, say that with influenza ...More
January 18, 2013
Posted in News, PPE & Standard Precautions
Researchers Discover How the Flu Virus 'Tells Time'

Scientists have discovered that that the flu virus can essentially tell time, thereby giving scientists the ability to reset the virus’ clock and combat it in more effective ways. According to researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, the flu knows how ...More
January 17, 2013
Posted in News
Critically Ill Flu Patients Saved With Artificial Lung Technology

In recent weeks the intensive critical care units at University Health Network’s Toronto General Hospital have used Extra Corporeal Lung Support (ECLS) to support five influenza patients in their recovery from severe respiratory problems. ECLS systems are normally used at ...More
January 17, 2013
Posted in News
H1N1 Flu Shots are Safe for Pregnant Women

Norwegian pregnant women who received a vaccine against the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus showed no increased risk of pregnancy loss, while pregnant women who experienced influenza during pregnancy had an increased risk of miscarriages and still births, a study has found. The ...More
January 17, 2013
Posted in News
FDA Approves New Seasonal Influenza Vaccine Made Using Novel Technology

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announces that it has approved Flublok, the first trivalent influenza vaccine made using an insect virus (baculovirus) expression system and recombinant DNA technology. Flublok is approved for the prevention of seasonal influenza in ...More
January 16, 2013
Posted in News
Slide Show: Flu Facts

The Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) provides the facts about influenza. ...More
January 16, 2013
Posted in Galleries
CDC Releases Data on Effectiveness of Seasonal Influenza Vaccine

In the United States, annual vaccination against seasonal influenza is recommended for all persons aged ≥6 months. Each season since 2004-05, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has estimated the effectiveness of seasonal influenza vaccine to prevent ...More
January 11, 2013
Posted in News, PPE & Standard Precautions