Influenza

Seasonal influenza results in nearly 50,000 deaths each year in the United States alone, and 5 to 10 times as many deaths in all industrialized countries combined.

The untimely passing of pop music icon, Prince, is a somber reminder of the serious risks that can accompany an influenza infection.

Each year 20,000 children are hospitalized due to the flu. In the 2014/2015 winter season alone, 148 children lost their lives to the virus.

Researchers from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, MA have, for the first time, identified a link between a person's genetic make-up, as well as their ethnic background, and their response to influenza vaccine.

The 2015-2016 flu season started off slow but diagnoses have become more prominent and 10% of cases were confirmed during the first week of February.

Although some meta-analyses have called into question the efficacy of antiviral treatment, the Centers for Disease Control recommends empirical use of antiviral medications in patients with symptoms suggestive of influenza.