Cold, Flu, & Cough Health Center

News and Features Related to Cold & Flu

1. Early, Severe Flu Season Caused Big Rise in Child Deaths: CDC
   

   By Steven Reinberg HealthDay Reporter THURSDAY, June 13 (HealthDay News) -- This past flu season started earlier, peaked earlier and led to more adult hospitalizations and child deaths than most flu seasons, U.S. health officials reported Thursday. At least 149 children died, compared to the usual r

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2. Gene Therapy May Protect Against Flu Pandemics
   

   By Brenda Goodman HealthDay Reporter WEDNESDAY, May 29 (HealthDay News) -- Gene therapy that turns cells in the nose into factories that crank out super antibodies against the flu protected mice and ferrets against lethal doses of several pandemic strains of the virus. If the approach works in human

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3. Antibiotic Prescribing Rates May Vary by Region
   

   By Barbara Bronson Gray HealthDay Reporter WEDNESDAY, April 10 (HealthDay News) -- The chances that your doctor will give you antibiotics when you're sick may be influenced by geography, new research reveals. It's tough to know exactly what factors contributed to the regional variations the research

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4. New Bird Flu No Immediate Threat: U.S. Experts
   

   By Amanda Gardner HealthDay Reporter TUESDAY, April 9 (HealthDay News) -- At this point, there's no reason to believe that the emerging H7N9 strain of bird flu that has sickened at least 24 people and killed seven in China is cause for alarm, health officials in the United States say. For one thing,

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5. Higher Indoor Humidity Levels Might Slow Flu
   

   By Alan Mozes HealthDay Reporter THURSDAY, Feb. 28 (HealthDay News) -- As the flu season continues to pack a punch for some Americans, new research suggests there might be a simple way to reduce the risk for infection in an indoor setting: hike up humidity levels. By raising indoor relative humidity

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6. Kids' Ear Infections: New Guidelines for Treatment
   

   By Serena Gordon HealthDay Reporter MONDAY, Feb. 25 (HealthDay News) -- The American Academy of Pediatrics has issued new guidelines for identifying and treating a common childhood ailment that can cause a lot of misery -- the ear infection. In the guidelines released Monday, the pediatrics group mo

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7. Flu Vaccine Fell Short for Seniors This Season
   

   By Steven Reinberg HealthDay Reporter THURSDAY, Feb. 21 (HealthDay News) -- The flu vaccine has fallen markedly short of expectations for older Americans this winter, offering this vulnerable population protection against the most virulent strain of flu virus just 9 percent of the time, U.S. health

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8. Children's Tamiflu Still in Short Supply
   

   Feb. 21, 2013 -- With flu season dragging on, supplies of the children’s version of the flu drug Tamiflu continue to dwindle nationwide, according to the drug's maker. The liquid medicine, called Tamiflu OS (for oral suspension), is approved for children 2 weeks old and older. It attacks the flu vir

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9. Hand Sanitizers: Do They Help Stop All Germs?
   

   Feb. 8, 2013 -- With winter cold and flu season in full swing -- and a new strain of norovirus circulating -- everyone's trying to dodge the bugs. Norovirus causes intestinal illness, and it's often the root of outbreaks at schools and in nursing homes. The question is: How best to avoid infection?

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10. Flu Shot May Not Work as Well for Seniors
    

    By Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter WEDNESDAY, Feb. 6 (HealthDay News) -- Seniors seem to get a weaker boost to their immune system following a flu shot than young people do, a small study shows. Experts say the findings essentially confirm what's been believed: The flu shot just doesn't work as well f

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