News & Perspective

(CIDRAP News) – Influenza activity jumped in the United States last week along with other Northern Hemisphere locations, and an official from the World Health Organization (WHO) said it's not yet clear if this season will make its mark as a bad one.

(CIDRAP News) – A package of studies and commentary published this week by the Journal of Infectious Diseases points up the ability of influenza viruses to become drug-resistant and continue to spread, highlighting the need for new antivirals.

(CIDRAP News) – Health officials in Hong Kong today raised its flu pandemic alert level to "serious" after an H5N1 avian influenza infection was confirmed in a 59-year-old woman who had recently traveled to mainland China.

(CIDRAP News) – In a flu vaccine update at a federal advisory meeting today, officials with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said early signs suggest flu vaccine uptake in children is on par with last year and that enhanced monitoring for narcolepsy and seizures has turned up no signals of trouble.