By mid-August, the 2017 year had recorded more flu notifications across Australia than the previous five years. So why is the flu season so bad this time around?
What can a single person’s flu infection tell you about how the virus changes around the world?
Xue and Bloom
This antivirus software protects health, not computers. Researchers are beginning to combat deadly infections using computer-generated antiviral proteins – a valuable tool to fight a future pandemic.
When resources are scarce, deciding who should be front of the queue for the flu vaccine is an ethical minefield.
from www.shutterstock.com
As we head towards flu season, many people are wondering if it's worth getting vaccinated against influenza and if so, when. Here's what you need to know.
After the Spanish flu we didn’t see any new flu strains for forty years. Now novel strains are increasingly popping up.
Carlos Barria/Reuterspics
Most immunisation campaigns continue to primarily focus on infants and children, but almost 4 million Australian adults are not vaccinated against preventable diseases.
Antibiotics are wrongly being prescribed for infections where they won't work and cutting this down could help combat resistance. But change isn't as easy as just providing the means.
Next time just work with your body clock.
Marcos Mesa Sam Wordley
The “common cold” is common, most of us will have at least one or two per year. Despite this, there's a lack of good research looking into it, and ways to prevent and treat it.
The flu vaccine – which prevents one from getting influenza – changes every year, because it is based on the strains of the virus that presented in the previous year.
While studies suggests that cholesterol-lowering statins can make the flu shot less effective, the vaccine remains the best available tool for reducing flu-related complications and death.
Avoiding stress could help stave off the flu.
Sick woman via www.shutterstock.com.
You wake up and feel under the weather. If you're vomiting or have a fever, the decision to stay at home is probably clear cut. But what if you generally feel unwell but are torn about missing work?
Children in particular experience a multitude of viral illnesses during their early years.
MIKI Yoshihito/Flickr
Viruses cause all kinds of infections from relatively mild cases of the flu to deadly outbreaks of Ebola. Clearly, not all viruses are equal and one of these differences is when you can infect others.
Predicting the severity of the flu season based on one data set paints an unnecessarily scary picture.
Sabbhat Sabacio Striges/Flickr
Australia's in the middle of the annual flu season and once again, it's claimed to the worst on record. But why is it that every season seems to outdo previous ones and how bad is this year, really?
If your symptoms are above the neck, you’ll still be able to manage a lighter-than-normal workout.
mimohe/Shutterstock
As we move into winter, the cold mornings, dark evenings and rain tend to bring out the best excuses to miss a session at the gym or run around the park.
Cold and flu tablets won’t cure a cold.
Flood G./Flickr
Senior Lecturer, School of Computing and Information Systems, and Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne
