Research shows for every 100 healthy adults vaccinated against influenza, 99 get no benefit.
Health workers get ready to spray insecticide in advance of the 2016 Summer Olympics, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to combat the mosquitoes that transmit the Zika virus in this Jan. 26, 2016 photo.
(AP Photo/Leo Correa, File)
Recent discoveries of ancient viruses are helping scientists understand their origins.
Despite the numerous campaigns promoting the flu vaccine to Australian health workers, uptake has been documented to range from only 16-60%.
Tatiana Chekryzhova/Shutterstock
The most effective way to improve flu vaccination rates among health workers in high-risk clinical areas and aged care facilities is to make it mandatory.
The flu shot is free for at-risk groups, and available to others for around $10-$25.
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Kanta Subbarao, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity
While not perfect, the seasonal flu vaccine is the best way to protect against influenza. There are a few changes to the flu vaccine and what is available this year. Here’s what you need to know.
The flu vaccine isn’t perfect but it’s the best way to protect against these potentially harmful viruses. Most children aged six months to five years are eligible for a free vaccine in 2018.
People and animals live side by side – and can have pathogens in common.
Nichola Hill
No one then knew a virus caused the 1918 flu pandemic, much less that animals can be a reservoir for human illnesses. Now virus ecology research and surveillance are key for public health efforts.
An injectable flu vaccination. Flu vaccines lessen the likelihood of getting the flu and its severity.
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The 1918 flu pandemic has long puzzled those who study disease outbreaks. Why was it so severe? While that question is hard to answer, one thing is certain: Vaccines would have lessened the toll.
It can be difficult to find records from epidemics long past.
U.S. National Library of Medicine
With many men ‘missing’ from the population in the aftermath of the 1918 flu, women stepped into public roles that hadn’t previously been open to them.
Face masks are a common sight in Asia. Why?
David Chang/AAP
Two free flu vaccines will improve protection for the over-65s. FluZone High Dose is a high-dose version; Fluad adds an additional ingredient to boost effectiveness. But neither is perfect.
Could the yearly flu shot become a thing of the past?
AP Photo/Darron Cummings, File
Flu virus mutates so quickly that one year’s vaccine won’t work on the next year’s common strains. But rational design – a new way to create vaccines – might pave the way for more lasting solutions.
Once a respiratory virus like influenza has entered your home or workplace, it is wise to treat the space like a hospital and practice infection prevention and control.
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Anyone who’s had the flu can attest that it makes them feel horrible. But why? What is going on inside the body that brings such pain and malaise? An immunologist explains.
A CDC scientist measures the amount of H7N9 avian flu virus grown in a lab.
James Gathany/CDC/Handout via REUTERS
Science has come a long way in the 100 years since the worst flu pandemic in history. But that doesn’t mean that the country is ready for another health disaster.
Donnie Cardenas, on bed, waits with his roommate Torrey Jewett at Palomar Medical Center in Escondido, Calif., Jan. 10, 2018. Cardenas had the flu.
AP Photo/Greg Bull
The flu is not only making millions of people sick this year. It’s causing fear and, along with it, a lot of confusion. Should you get a flu shot? Should you see the doctor? An expert advises.
The sun casts a shadow over the Capitol on Friday, Jan. 19.
AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin