Accelerating flu protection

H7N9 flu

Aquatic wild birds are the reservoir of more than 100 influenza viruses whose subtypes (HxNy) have never been responsible for sustained infection in humans. As a matter of fact, humans are usually not infected by avian influenza A viruses. However, sporadic cases of avian influenza virus infection are observed every year, mostly in Asia. By subsequent adaptation these emerging viruses may resul...

Bench-to-bedside review: Vaccine protection strategies during pandemic flu outbreaks

Vaccination is the most effective means for the prevention of influenza, including pandemic strains. An ideal pandemic influenza vaccine should provide effective protection with the fewest number of doses in the shortest amount of time, and among the greatest proportion of the population. The current manufacturing processes required for embryonated chicken-egg-based influenza vaccines are limit...

'The flu'.

Flu Days

Shivering, you drag yourself, as if gun-shot, to the living room, to the old movie channel, to a Bogart festival, your mind fogged over (like the street on the screen) edging toward feverish sleep when Bogey snarls at Ida Lupino: “Of all the 14-carat saps...” Hours later when you wake, he’s smacking Peter Lorre: “When you’re slapped, you’ll take it and like it!” And as if cuffed, you black out,...

Flu furore

In January, just when H1N1 swine flu virus might well have been hitting the headlines as the cause of one of the UK's worst epidemics of all time, there was an outbreak of a rather different kind. This was an outpouring of media assertions that last year both scientists and the government had grossly exaggerated the virus's likely impact. Alleged reasons for needless panic-mongering ranged from...