Now that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the at-home use of the flu vaccine spray FluMist, how do you know that it's the right choice for you and your family?
One expert offers advice on the spray's efficacy and how to figure out if FluMist is your bes...
Folks who want solid protection during the cold and flu season should get the influenza vaccine now, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration says.
The ideal time to get the flu vacc...
THURSDAY, Oct. 3, 2024, HealthDay News -- The Southern Hemisphere's flu season is winding down, and new data shows this year's flu shot was 34.5% ...
Most Americans don’t plan to get vaccinated against the flu or COVID-19 this season, a new survey has found.
Fewer than two in five U.S. adults (38%) say they will definitel...
A non-drug nasal spray could theoretically help stop the spread of respiratory viruses like the flu and COVID-19 better than wearing a mask, a new study suggests.
The spray uses i...
It's that time of year when respiratory viruses start to circulate widely, but how can you tell the difference between the symptoms of a cold, the flu and COVID?
The days of waiting for a flu shot at your doctor's office or local pharmacy may be over: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved FluMist nasal spray as the first influenza vaccine that can be self-administered at home.
It's a "new option for receiving a...
People should prepare for the fall cold and flu season by getting the updated influenza and COVID-19 vaccinations, an infectious diseases expert says.
“When my patients ask me...
A lot of Americans are on the fence regarding annual flu and COVID shots, a new survey finds.
More than one-third of those polled (37%) said they’d gotten vaccines in the past...
Losing weight can help a person with obesity -- especially those with diabetes -- fend off serious infections, new data shows.
It's an important finding, since "up to one in three hospitalizations in people with diabetes are for infections and people with diabetes are tw...
A universal flu vaccine that would protect against all influenza strains -- and that people might not need to take every year -- could be close at hand, researchers report.
An exp...
Over-the-counter nasal sprays could be a potent weapon against a major public health threat -- antibiotic resistance, researchers report.
Their analysis, which looked at data from nearly 14,000 adults, found that common nasal sprays could help keep upper respiratory trac...
U.S. health officials announced Tuesday that the federal government will pay Moderna $176 million to speed development of a pandemic flu vaccine based on mRNA technology.
Such a vaccine could be used to treat bird flu in people, as concern grows about H5N1 cases spr...
The spread of H5N1 avian flu to dairy cows has health experts and many Americans on edge, and now a new study finds the virus stays viable on milking equipment for at least an hour.
"Dairy cows have to be milked even if they are sick, and it has not been clear for how lo...
A simple and inexpensive paper strip test could help diagnose a case of the flu, and even identify the influenza strain that caused it, a new study finds.
Two human cases of "dual mutant" strains of H1N1 flu have been reported by U.S. health officials.
Unfortunately, the genetic changes appear to render the leading flu antiviral, Tamiflu, less effective, researchers fro...
An experimental vaccine that could offer one-stop prevention for both COVID-19 and influenza is showing positive results among older adults in trials, maker Moderna announced Monday.
The shot -- for now called mRNA-1083 -- "has met its primary endpoints, eliciting a high...
An experimental mRNA vaccine against the H5N1 avian flu is highly effective in preventing severe illness and death in lab animals, researchers report.
The vaccine could help fight...
H5N1 avian "bird" flu is making headlines this week, with new reports finding inactive virus detected in 1 in 5 U.S. milk samples.
<...Want to prevent a respiratory infection?
A fingerful of Neosporin antibiotic swabbed inside your nose might help you fight off a range of invading respiratory viruses, a new study claims.
Lab animals whose noses were treated using neomycin -- the main ingredient in...
An unnamed person in Texas had been diagnosed with the H5N1 avian flu after close contact with infected dairy cattle, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Monday.
It's only the second case ever confirmed in the United States (the first was in Col...
New research offers an easy prescription to get people to roll up their sleeves for a flu shot.
Just ask them to.
And then reinforce the invitation with a little video and print encouragement.
"Our study adds to the growing body of knowledge showing tha...
The flu is more likely to lead to a neurological disorder than COVID, according to a new study that surprised its authors.
"While the results were not what we expected to find, they are reassuring in that we found being hospitalized with COVID did not lead to more ...
Bird flu has mutated to spread more easily between birds and marine mammals, increasing the potential risk to humans, a new study warns.
Four sea lions, one fur seal and a tern found dead in Argentina all tested positive for the avian influenza virus H5N1, researchers re...
America's most popular cold medications contain a nasal decongestant that doesn't work, creating a knotty dilemma for regulators, a new study reports.
Cold remedies containing phenylephrine remain consumers' most popular choice, despite decades of concern that the decong...
A disturbing number of people sick with an infectious disease conceal their illness to avoid missing work, travel or social events, new research reveals.
About three in four people (75%) had either hidden an infectious illness from others at least once or might do so in ...
The old saying "feed a cold, starve a fever"is baloney, doctors say.
People fighting off a seasonal respiratory virus need adequate nutrition, regardless of their symptoms, according to advice from the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.
Fever is just one of the...
THURSDAY, Jan. 25, 2024 (HealthDay news) -- It's been said that closing the toilet lid before flushing can prevent the spread of all germs, by keeping any flush-produced mist in the bowl.
But a new study refutes that, showing that tiny viral particles spread to many rest...
The maker of Robitussin has recalled eight lots of Robitussin Honey CF Max Day Adult and Robitussin Honey CF Max Nighttime Adult cough syrups.
The products, which are made by Haleon, may be contaminated with a microbe, and "in immunocompromised individuals, the use of th...
Flu and COVID are sweeping across the country, posing a particular hazard to people at risk for heart disease.
These respiratory infections can trigger heart complications from fever, dehydration and inflammation, experts from Mount Sinai Fuster Heart Hospital say.
Following weeks of increases in flu activity, the latest U.S. government data shows "a single-week decrease" for the first time in months.
But health officials warn that the flu season is far from over, with a surge ...
Researchers appear to have discovered a new weapon in the war on a particularly difficult foe.
They have identified a previously unrecognized class of antibodies that seem to be capable of neutralizing multiple strains of the flu virus.
Their findings, recently rep...
Most parents plan to have their kids vaccinated against influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), even as COVID-19 vaccine acceptance flags, a new poll finds.
Seven in 10 parents (71%) plan to have their children get an RSV jab and six in 10 (63%) plan to get thei...
It's that time of year when your kids come home with sniffles and sore throats, but when should you worry if they have a fever?
To a certain extent, fevers are the body's natural way of fighting infection, one expert says.
"Fever helps the immune system,"explained ...
Low vaccination rates for the flu, RSV and COVID-19 are putting Americans at higher risk for severe illness and hospitalization this winter, a new government alert warned Thursday.
There is an "urgent need"to boost vaccination rates as the trio of viruses spread through ...
'Long COVID' has become a well-known potential consequence of COVID infection, with symptoms that can last weeks, months or even years.
Now it appears that "long flu"is also possible, with some patients developing long-lasting health problems following a severe infection...
Sore throats are commonplace during cold and flu season, but luckily there are lots of home remedies that can help ease your misery, doctors say.
These remedies "aren't quick fixes for an illness,"but they can help ease discomfort, said
MONDAY, Dec. 4, 2023 (Healthday News) -- While flu and COVID cases are now on the rise, RSV infections may soon peak and level off, U.S. health officials report.
COVID-19 continues to fuel the most hospitalizations and deaths among all respiratory illnesses -- about 15,0...
FRIDAY, Dec. 1, 2023 (Healthday News) -- In testimony provided Thursday to members of Congress, the head of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that a surge in respiratory illnesses in China is not being fueled by a new virus.
Instead, the spike can ...
Air filters might help keep the air in your home fresh, but a new review finds they don't appear to reduce your risk of catching an airborne virus.
Technologies designed to make indoor spaces safer from infection are not effective in the real world, researchers from the ...
Children stricken with influenza aren't receiving the flu-busting antiviral drug Tamiflu even though it's recommended for them, a new study says.
Three of five children with the flu aren't prescribed Tamiflu, researchers r...
Health care workers at America's nursing homes are woefully under-vaccinated for both flu and COVID-19, threatening their own health and that of the frail elderly patients under their care, a new report finds.
Looking at 2023 data collected at nearly 14,000 nursing homes...
Getting a yearly flu shot is one of the best ways to protect yourself from infection or severe illness, but not everyone likes shots.
Now, there is some potentially good news for those who fear needles: A nasal spray flu vaccine that you can take or give at home is on th...
A cheap, do-it-yourself air purifier is powerful enough to effectively protect a home from free-floating flu and COVID-19 viruses, according to test results from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The filter, crafted with common hardware store supplies costing $60...
It has long been believed that the 1918 flu pandemic disproportionately affected healthy young adults, but a study of human remains tells a different story.
Together, Canadian and American researchers found that preexisting medical conditions like asthma and lower i...
Just 23% of American adults say they 'definitely' will get the new COVID-19 vaccine, while another 23% say they will 'probably' get it, according to a new poll, which also finds interest in the shot falls along partisan lines.
More people plan to get seasonal flu shots a...
President Joe Biden has been freshly vaccinated for three major respiratory viruses that could spread widely this fall and winter.
Biden got both the updated COVID booster and his annual flu shot on Friday, White House physician
Kids are back in school and it's time to think about viruses, for both yourself and them.
It could be an early flu season in the United States, if what happened in the Southern Hemisphere offers any insight, according to Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles.
The flu...
In a finding that should ease the minds of Americans ahead of another flu season, this year's vaccines have already cut the risk of hospitalization in half during the South American winter, health officials report.
Even better, the flu virus strains that have been detect...
Two new studies looked to explain an increased risk of respiratory infections like coughs and colds in babies and young children, finding city living to be among the culprits.
Young children who grow up in towns and cities instead of the countryside suffer more respirato...