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?
Given the increasing number of vaccines recommended for adolescents and adults in Australia, the newly announced initiatives are a very good idea.
Wellcome Images/Flickr
Tucked away in the budget papers is an intitiative worthy of applause – the establishment of an adult immunisation register and the expansion of the childhood register to include adolescents.
Cold and flu tablets won’t cure a cold.
Flood G./Flickr
Aeron Hurt, WHO Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza
It’s that time of year again when scientists and doctors make predictions about the impending flu season and we must decide whether to go out and get the flu vaccine.
Ever tweet about being sick? Or look up your symptoms online? Researchers are using this information to monitor illnesses and attitudes about health in real time.
A student contributing to community immunity by getting immunized with the nasal spray vaccine.
Cuc Tran
Influenza is a global health problem that affects 3-5m people a year and causes fatalities among the very old, the very young, and those with existing medical conditions. The virus spreads through contact…
Livestock and farmers most at risk.
Cull by Shutterstock
The UK has just recorded its second outbreak of bird flu in less than three months. At the end of November, the relatively new subtype H5N8 – which was first spotted in late 2009 in China and which has…
Air travel can turn epidemics into pandemics.
Bobby Yip/Reuters
More than 8,000 people have died from Ebola in West Africa since February 2014 and it has spread beyond the three countries initially affected. So, it’s an epidemic, right? Or is it an outbreak? What about…
If you’re sick, stay at home.
Sneeze by Shutterstock
It’s that time of the year again. You probably think I mean Christmas, but as a virologist the sight of glitter, fairy lights and moulting pine trees immediately makes me think of the flu season. And if…
There is no such thing as an ideal flu shot. But that doesn’t mean you should skip it.
Sherry Yates Young/Shutterstock
On December 3, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a Health Alert Network advisory indicating a possible strain mismatch in this year’s vaccine. After the usual brief flurry…
Not all gross: mucus is vital for healthy airways.
William Brawley/Flickr
We tend to notice mucus only when it’s abnormal and the sticky fluid is expelled from orifices. But actually it’s pretty amazing stuff. Every moment of our lives mucus is protecting our internal organs…
In the US the risk of getting measles or dying from influenza is greater than the risk of getting Ebola.
Jaime R Carrero/Reuters
News that a doctor in New York City tested positive for Ebola sparked mandatory quarantine orders for heath workers returning from West Africa in New York and New Jersey last week. The outbreak has killed…
At the sharp end of the fight against Ebola and other infectious diseases are courageous people who work tirelessly in difficult conditions. Equations are not included as standard in medical kits. But…
Influenza can be a serious and even life-threatening illness, but most infections are mild and self-limiting.
HI TRICIA! 王 圣 捷/Flickr
Today’s reports suggesting a particularly severe flu season could easily be overstating the case. The figures, released by Influenza Specialist Group say there have been more than 20,000 cases of flu nationally…
The current West African ebolavirus outbreak, which has now reached more than 1,000 cases and resulted in more than 800 deaths, is a reminder of the often unpredictable nature of viruses and the difficulties…
The pandemic flu virus spread around the world in several waves, causing illness in 20% to 50% of infected people and death in 1% to 5%.
British Red Cross/Flickr
The great influenza pandemic of 1918-19, often called the Spanish flu, caused about 50 million deaths worldwide; far more than the deaths from combat casualties in the World War One (1914-18). In fact…
The danger of reporting findings before peer review is that scientists often can’t talk about the details of their research, which can lead to hype or fear in the media. A recent example of this is a controversial…
More than 90% of kids are vaccinated compared with 74% of adults aged over 65 years.
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We live in an ageing society, with the global median age rising steadily. Australia’s economic viability will increasingly rely on retaining older people in the workforce for longer. This, of course, relies…