Flu/Influenza News

Health fears nothing to sneeze at

One sneeze is enough to increase the fear not just of flu, but also of dying from a heart attack, dying from an accident or being the victim of a fatal crime, new research shows.

WHO slams homeopath vaccine warning

The World Health Organisation rebuked in strong terms advice by a Swiss homeopathic doctors association that pregnant women should avoid getting vaccinated against swine flu.

Forget swine flu meet Fido flu

While the H1N1 flu currently circulating can jump easily from person to person, it does not travel well from humans to animals or animals to humans, except in a few rare instances.

SA may include swine flu vaccine

The National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) recommended that South Africa include vaccines for swine flu in ordinary seasonal flu vaccines next year.

Flus wily ways

Vaccinating more children might help slow the evolution of the constantly changing flu virus, US government scientists reported.

WHO sends 200m vaccines to poor

The World Health Organisation plans to distribute 200 million doses of swine flu vaccine to 100 developing countries.

Obama declares swine flu emergency

Barack Obama has declared swine flu a "national emergency," the White House said Saturday, as the US reels from millions of cases of infection and over 1,000 deaths.

Swine flu parties?

While most people are doing all they can to avoid the swine flu, some groups of people are said to be actively seeking it out.

Swine flu worse in under-25s

Half of those hospitalised with the new H1N1 virus are under 25, a clear illustration that the pandemic is affecting the young disproportionately.

Bogus swine flu meds on the net

The FDA warned consumers to avoid buying medicines online to treat swine flu, saying one such product contained nothing more than talc and over-the-counter fever-reducer.