Cold and Flu News & Features

FDA Adds Stronger Warnings to Fluoroquinolones By Robert Preidt                  HealthDay Reporter         WEDNESDAY, July 11, 2018 (HealthDay News) -- A powerful class of antibiotics will now come with stronger safety warnings about dangerous drops in blood sugar and neurological side effects that can include delirium and memory problems, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday.Called fluoroquinolones, these drugs include levofloxacin (Levaquin), ciprofloxacin (Cipro), ciprofloxacin extended-release tablets, moxifloxacin (Avelox), ofloxacin, gemifloxacin (Factive) and delafloxacin (Baxdela). There are more than 60 generic versions of fluoroquinolones."The use of

A company developing a one-dose pill to treat flu says the drug has been fast-tracked by the FDA.

Researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine say they've identified a "biomarker" that indicates a person's susceptibility to flu viruses.

The recommendation follows a review of existing data on the effectiveness of the flu shot -- compared with the nasal spray -- that was carried out by the AAP Board of Directors.

Fifteen years ago, researchers found that a flu virus in a horse infected a dog, leading to the first circulating flu viruses in dogs. Five years ago, researchers identified a bird-origin flu virus circulating in farm dogs in China.

In two surveys done four years apart, the number of Veterans Affairs hospitals mandating flu shots rose only slightly, from 1 percent in 2013 to 4 percent in 2017, researchers said.

The pig virus, known as Porcine deltacoronavirus, was first identified in China in 2012. It was found in pigs but it was not associated with disease.

In lab tests, this molecule blocked viruses that cause colds and prevented them from taking control of human cells.

Armpit thermometers led to a large outbreak of drug-resistant Candida auris fungus in the United Kingdom.

Computer modeling shows that the number of people who get vaccinated is more important for protecting lives than the actual effectiveness of each season's vaccine.

The review actually uncovered preliminary links to 94 additional diseases, including breast cancer.

But hospitalizations for the flu are still a problem, and there have been additional pediatric deaths, the latest federal numbers show.

For the sixth week in a row, there was a decrease in the number of doctor visits for flu-like illness, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Friday.

Bayer is voluntarily recalling some kinds of Alka-Seltzer Plus because the ingredients listed on the box may not be what’s actually in the product.

This model indicated that passengers at highest risk are those seated within a row of the sick passenger, or a seat or two to the side. These folks faced an 80 percent increased risk of catching whatever made the original passenger sick.

Since 2006, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has required a warning on Tamiflu packaging that it may cause hallucinations and delirium in young patients and make them more apt to hurt themselves or take their own lives.

For the third week in a row, there was a decrease in the number of doctor visits for flu-like illness, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Friday.

Most of influenza's misery is caused by the human body itself, or more precisely the immune system's response to the virus.

Unlike existing flu drugs, such as a Tamiflu, which require patients to take it twice-a-day for 5 days, the Japanese medication is taken in a single dose regardless of age the company said.

FluMist, the inhaled flu vaccine, may be on its way back to doctors’ offices in the U.S. A CDC vaccine committee voted Wednesday to put the nasal spray back on its list of available vaccines.

A flu shot is recommended for every person older than 6 months in the United States, even though the CDC reported on Thursday that this year's vaccine is only 25 percent effective against H3N2 influenza, the cause of most illness so far this season.

There was also a slight drop in doctor visits for flu-like illness: 7.5 percent of patient  visits during the week ending Feb. 10, down from 7.7 percent of patient visits the week before.

Believe it or not, one expert says there are ways to stem the spread of sickness -- even if you can't avoid being around other people.

Most children who have died of the flu so far this season had not been vaccinated, according to the CDC. Of the 63 confirmed flu deaths, investigators have health histories on 56 of them. Of those, 54% had an underlying medical condition which placed them at greater risk of severe flu complications.

Researchers say a certain spectrum of ultraviolet light -- called far-UVC -- easily kills airborne flu viruses while posing no risk to people.