Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been tagged as “Influenza”
Let’s face it, they just don’t mix! There are some dire projections out there including what some are calling the risk of a “tripledemic!” Just what we need, right? Cases of RSV are rising quickly in young children, filling ICU beds, in fact, most hospitalizations today are related to RSV and not COVID. Why? Because we have weakened our immunity, …
Flu season is upon us, we are hearing of flu outbreaks around the country and that the virus is somewhat more virulent this year! The CDC recommends that adults over the age of 18 receive a COVID-19 booster ALONG WITH their annual flu vaccine. Makes sense, right? A one-stop-shop, a poke in each arm and you are armed to fight …
Since the pandemic hit the United States last winter, the flu has basically been nowhere except in a few places like western Africa. During the flu season of 2019-2020, more than 38 million people in the United States became sick with influenza and nearly 22,000 of them died. Compare that to October 3, 2020 to July 24, 2021, only 2,136 …
Bacterial co-infections and secondary infections are commonly identified in severe influenza (23%) and other severe respiratory viral infections, in which they are associated with increased morbidity and mortality. National and International COVID-19 guidelines vary in their recommendations on empirical antimicrobial therapy, some recommend empirical antimicrobial therapy in severe diseases where others do not. In a study published in the Lancet, …
Experts predicted that the 2019/20 flu season in the Northern Hemisphere would be a bad one. And then it wasn’t. The COVID-19 pandemic hit, international travel ground to a halt, physical distancing and mask wearing became more common, and the flu went away. Part of the sudden decrease might be the result of health authorities in some areas focusing all …
Abbott Laboratories announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for the company’s Alinity™ m Resp-4-Plex molecular assay to detect and differentiate SARS-CoV-2, influenza A, influenza B and Respiratory Syncytial virus (RSV) in one test. This is an important tool because these viruses have similar symptoms but require different treatment approaches. This test …
This winter has, so far, been the quietest flu season in recent memory and the perks are clear. Fewer flu cases mean fewer deaths, fewer occupied hospital beds, and fewer overtaxed health-care workers, caregivers, and laboratory employees, a welcome respite for a country still in the coronavirus’ grip. Without flu cases to study, researchers have been starved of data crucial …
Flu activity is unusually low at this time but may increase in the coming month per the CDC’s FluView. Throughout the fall, public health officials urged Americans to get a flu vaccine to avoid a “twindemic” that could occur if both the flu and COVID-19 overwhelmed hospitals. Pharmacies and health care organizations ordered more flu vaccines this year to prepare …
Influenza outbreaks in nursing homes pose a threat to frail residents and occur even in vaccinated populations. A pragmatic cluster-randomized trial was performed comparing adjuvanted trivalent influenza vaccine (aTIV) versus trivalent influenza vaccine (TIV). Of 823 randomized nursing homes, 777 reported information on influenza outbreaks. The treatment group had similar characteristics at baseline except for race/ethnicity; homes assigned to TIV …
As health care systems across the U.S. are experiencing or preparing for surges in individuals with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) this fall and winter, the potential for cocirculation of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and influenza viruses poses added challenges for clinicians and public health. Recent reports suggest that influenza activity can be influenced substantially by non-pharmaceutical measures …
