Cold, Flu, & Cough Health Center

News and Features Related to Cold & Flu

91. Prevent Flu: Don’t Be Touchy
    

    Resist the urge. Little habits -- touching eyes, putting finger to nose, biting nails -- give the flu virus a welcome mat into your system. A day or two later, when the first signs of flu hit you, you'll wonder -- how did I get the flu? When avoiding the flu, you've got to resist those habits. "Thes

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92. Prevent Flu: Soap Away Germs
    

    An icky fact: That elevator button or door knob you just touched? It likely has flu germs on it. If you're avoiding the flu, take note. Then wash those hands. Do it the right way -- and do it often, several times a day! It's true -- germs can live on any surface for two hours or more. If someone in

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93. Prevent Flu: Cover Up When You Say Achoo!
    

    It's every mother's mantra: Cover your mouth when you cough. During flu season, it's the best advice you can give any child -- or adult - who wants to avoid the flu. The flu virus is passed from one person to the other through fluids from mouth and nose secretions. When we cough and sneeze, those dr

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94. Experts: New H1N1 Swine Flu Pandemic Unlikely
    

    Sept. 30, 2010 – Some two-thirds of Americans may already be immune to H1N1 swine flu, making an explosive new wave unlikely. High vaccination rates this flu season, especially among children and young adults, might even drive the pandemic bug to extinction, speculate top researchers at the National

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95. Flu Shots May Reduce Heart Attack Risk
    

    Sept. 21, 2010 -- Yearly flu shots may do more than stave off the seasonal flu -- they may also prevent heart attacks, according to a new study in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. And the earlier you get the flu shot, the greater this protection, the study shows. "If substantiated, this fin

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96. Hand Washing Catching On in U.S.
    

    Sept. 14, 2010 -- Researchers who observed hand washing in restrooms in major cities say 85% of adults are washing their hands after using public facilities, a new observational study shows. The American Society for Microbiology (ASM) and the American Cleaning Institute (ACI) sent observers into res

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97. FDA Panel Rejects Restrictions on Cough Medicine
    

    Sept. 14, 2010 -- An FDA advisory panel voted against placing restrictions on dextromethorphan (DXM), an active ingredient in many over-the-counter cough medications. The panel, which was convened at the request of the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), was tasked with evaluating DXM's potential for abu

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98. Is Your Kid Sick or Just Faking It?
    

    Your school-aged child wakes up sniffling, coughing, and moaning that he just doesn't feel well enough to go to school. Could it be a cold? The flu? Or, even the dreaded swine flu? As a parent, how are you supposed to respond? Sometimes, it's clear that your child has cold symptoms or flu symptoms a

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99. Top 13 Flu Myths
    

    Myths about the flu are everywhere. According to many experts, misconceptions and rumors about the flu are as hard to contain and as hard to fight as the virus itself.  “There are urban myths and rural myths about the flu,” says William Schaffner, MD, chairman of the department of preventive medicin

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100. H1N1 Swine Flu No Worse Than Seasonal Flu
     

     Sept. 7, 2010 -- In adults and children over age 6 months, the H1N1 swine flu was no more severe -- and posed no greater risk of serious disease -- than recent seasonal flu bugs. The findings come from Edward A. Belongia, MD, and colleagues at Wisconsin's Marshfield Clinic, who have been tracking fl

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