Whereas in Europe and North America most of the influenza cases are reported between December and March, in tropical and subtropical regions such as in Brazil [1] or in Hong Kong [2] cases are seen throughout the year. Epidemic peaks in the tropical areas mostly occur in between those found in the Northern and Southern hemispheres. A recent survey over 7 years in Brazil showed that annual peaks...

BACKGROUND Influenza data gaps in sub-Saharan Africa include incidence, case fatality, seasonal patterns, and associations with prevalent disorders. METHODS Nasopharyngeal samples from children aged <12 years who were admitted to Kilifi District Hospital during 2007-2010 with severe or very severe pneumonia and resided in the local demographic surveillance system were screened for influenza A...

BACKGROUND The 2009 H1N1 pandemic emerged even though seasonal H1N1 viruses have circulated for decades. Epidemiological evidence suggested that the current seasonal vaccine did not offer significant protection from the novel pandemic, and that people over the age of 50 were less susceptible to infection. OBJECTIVES In a mouse challenge study with the 2009 pandemic H1N1 virus, we evaluated pr...

Objective: Influenza virus, which is associated with high level of morbidity and mortality, has been recently considered a public health concern; however, the methods of choice to control and treat it are limited. Our previous study showed anti-influenza virus activity of pomegranate peel extract (PPE). In this study, the mechanism through which PPE acts against influenza virus...

Swine Influenza Virus (H1N1) is a known causative agent of swine flu. Transmission of Swine Influenza Virus form pig to human is not a common event and may not always cause human influenza. The 2009 outbreak by subtype H1N1 in humans is due to transfer of Swine Influenza Virus from pig to human. Thus to analyze the origin of this novel virus we compared two surface proteins (HA and NA) with inf...

Background: Respiratory infections, especially viral infections, are the most prevalent infection affecting Hajj pilgrims. Commonly 3 major human influenza viruses (A/H1N1, A/H3N2, and B) are responsible for these morbidities. The present study was conducted to develop a statistical report on human influenza in Hajj pilgrims. &nbsp;&nbsp; Methods: Nasal and throat samples were collected from 2...

BACKGROUND The current spread of pandemic influenza A(H1N1)v virus necessitates an intensified surveillance of influenza virus infections worldwide. So far, in many laboratories routine diagnostics were limited to generic influenza virus detection only. To provide interested laboratories with real-time PCR assays for type and subtype identification, we present a bundle of PCR assays with which ...

Objective: Influenza A virus infections are still a major health problem and the choices available for the control and treatment of the disease are limited. This research evaluated in vitro and in vivo antiviral effects of Peganum harmala L. seeds (PHS) extract against influenza A virus. Materials and Methods: In this research, in vitro anti-influenza A virus activity of the extract was assesse...

Annual influenza epidemics and occasional pandemics pose a severe threat to human health. Host cell factors required for viral spread but not for cellular survival are attractive targets for novel approaches to antiviral intervention. The cleavage activation of the influenza virus hemagglutinin (HA) by host cell proteases is essential for viral infectivity. However, it is unknown which protease...