A vaccine that protects children against four strains of flu may be more effective than the usual three-strain vaccine, a new study suggests. The four-strain (or so-called "quadrivalent") vaccine is available as a nasal spray or an ...
Tags: four strains of flu, quadrivalent, four-strain vaccine, kids health
People with asthma face special risks from influenza, and a new report suggests far too few American asthma patients receive the seasonal flu shot. "Asthmatics are at increased risk for complications from the flu," said one expert, Dr. ...
Tags: people with asthma, asthma, influenza, asthma patients, seasonal flu shot
The H7N9 bird flu virus does not yet have the ability to easily infect people, a new study indicates. The findings contradict some previous research suggesting that H7N9 poses an imminent threat of causing a global pandemic. The H7N9 ...
Tags: H7N9 viruses, bird flu virus, infect people
Food and Drug Administration said Monday that it wants makers of antibacterial hand soaps and body washes to prove their products are safe for long-term daily use and more effective than regular soaps in preventing illness and the spread of ...
Tags: antibacterial hand soaps, body washes, FDA
People with cancer face a higher risk for serious flu-related complications, so getting vaccinated should be at the top of their to-do list this winter, an expert says. "The flu shot is recommended annually for cancer patients, as it is ...
Americans with health insurance are more likely than uninsured people to use preventive services such as flu shots and health screenings, according to a new study. They are no more likely, however, to take health risks such as smoking. ...
Tags: health insurance, preventive services, preventive care, uninsured people
Preliminary research shows that gene therapy might one day be a powerful weapon against leukemia and other blood cancers. The experimental treatment coaxed certain blood cells into targeting and destroying cancer cells, according to ...
Tags: gene therapy, leukemia, blood cancer
This year's flu season may be off to a slow start nationwide, but infection rates are spiking in the south-central United States, where five deaths have already been reported in Texas. And the predominant strain of flu so far has been ...
A new study has uncovered evidence that most cases of narcolepsy are caused by a misguided immune system attack -- something that has been long suspected but unproven. Experts said the finding, reported Dec. 18 in Science Translational ...
Tags: narcolepsy, health, sleep disorder
U.S. health officials would like every American aged 6 months and older to get a flu vaccine, and on Thursday they produced statistics they think should convince everyone to get vaccinated. "In the 2012-2013 flu season, vaccinations ...
Tags: flu vaccine, health, desease control
The flu vaccine is less effective for men than women, and researchers at Stanford University believe they've figured out why. The male hormone testosterone causes genes in the immune system to produce fewer antibodies, or defense ...
Tags: flu vaccine, male hormone, testosterone, the immune system, men health
For the week ending Dec. 14, U.S. influenza increased nationwide, but Texas was hard hit with more than a dozen critically ill and six dead, officials say. The influenza strain H1N1 -- the same strain that caused the 2009 pandemic -- ...
Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments: Chinese Woman Killed by cNew to Humans A Chinese woman has died from a bird flu strain that has never before affected humans, and the World Health Organization called the ...
Tags: Health News, Health Highlights, Bee Deaths
Close to 16 percent, or 37 million of adults agree that paying more for branded prescription medications rather than getting generic products, according to Kantar Media's 2013 OTC/DTC Study. Forty-five percent or 106 million adults ...
Tags: Branded Medications, Generic Products, Adults Preferences OTC/DTC
The first human case of H10N8 was confirmed by Health authorities in Jiangxi on Wednesday, a new strain of bird flu to infect piople, in the world. A 73-year-old woman, who died of respiratory failure on Dec 6, was later confirmed to have ...