Respiratory Infections

Rebekah Stewart Schicker, MSN, MPH, APRN, Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) Officer at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Influenza Division, discusses which outpatient populations are at highest risk of influenza-associated complications and the recommended treatments for these individuals.

At the Infectious Diseases Society of America Meeting, in New Orleans, Louisiana, Octavio Ramilo, MD, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, Ohio, gave a lecture on advancements being made when it comes to host response and pathogenesis of respiratory syncytial virus.

Researchers from Sweden’s Linköping University discover the pathway that leads to deadly infections in people co-infected with HIV and TB.

As the flu hits New Mexico, hundreds are reporting symptoms, while infection has only been lab-confirmed in two cases.

The first influenza cases of the 2016-2017 season were reported by the Minnesota Department of Health, a reminder for state residents to receive influenza vaccination.

Stephen Redd, MD (RADM, USPHS), Director of the Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response (OPHPR) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), discusses the 2016-2017 flu vaccine.

While health officials continue to search for more novel tools to fight tuberculosis, a team of researchers has found that a class of antibiotics first introduced in the 1960s may offer an important weapon against the outbreaks of today.

The US Food and Drug Administration has approved its quadrivalent formulation of the Flublok influenza vaccine.

Researchers in a recent study investigated how mixed messages delivered by vaccine manufacturers may prevent women from receiving the safe and effective influenza vaccine during pregnancy.

In addition to licensed pharmacists, student pharmacists can play an important role in helping more Americans get vaccinated by participating in immunization campaigns throughout their communities.

Following the recent United Nations General Assembly meeting to discuss the growing global threat of antimicrobial resistance, health experts are highlighting the role vaccines can play in preventing dangerous infections.

To assess factors associated with the likelihood that healthcare providers will accept seasonal influenza vaccine policy changes, Nova Scotia researchers examined the roles that their knowledge and attitude play in the matter.

Pharmacists are critical to expanding access to pandemic vaccination. However, little is known about the relationships and planning activities between public health programs and pharmacies.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recently met to establish new guidelines for the Southern Hemisphere’s 2017 influenza virus vaccine.

Recently, WHO published a paper outlining their decade-long initiative to increase access and regulate production of the influenza vaccine.

Over-the-counter diagnostic tests for Chlamydia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, and pathogens associated with upper respiratory tract infections such as influenza and Group A Streptococcus may soon gain approval; however, making these tests immediately available to the public would not be without challenges.

Recent research suggests those who are physically active may have a lower risk of bacterial infections than those who live a sedentary lifestyle.

The transdermal vaccine route offers an opportunity to improve vaccine administration.

At this year’s annual National Foundation for Infectious Diseases news conference on influenza and pneumococcal disease, the message was clear as health experts issued a resounding call for all Americans 6 months of age and older to get their flu shot.

State health departments in Minnesota and Washington are on the alert after recent outbreaks of Legionnaire’s disease.

A recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows influenza viruses currently in circulation in the United States are the same as anticipated by vaccine makers, hopefully signaling effectiveness ahead for 2016-2017 Northern Hemisphere influenza vaccines.

The World Health Organization credits contraception with preventing pregnancy-related health risks in women, reducing adolescent pregnancies, and lowering infant mortality rates. What researchers are now discovering is that hormonal contraceptives containing progesterone may also protect women against influenza infections and repair lung damage caused by inflammation.

Mumps outbreaks have recently been reported within the school systems of three states: Arkansas, Oklahoma, and New York.

We hear a lot about influenza types A and B every year when flu season approaches, and occasionally about the less severe type C. Now researchers have identified a newly recognized form of the virus—influenza D.