Earlier exposure to flu viruses ‘makes people immune to current H1N1 influenza’

October 14th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Imaging can now be used as a tool for identifying severe cases of H1N1 and may play an essential role in understanding the pathogenesis of the virus, possibly leading to earlier diagnoses of severe cases in the future, researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have found. The researchers said that imaging revealed a severe case of H1N1 after a patient had tested negative using a nasal swab rapid antigen test.

October 2nd, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new study has found that surgical masks appear to be as effective as N95 respirators in shielding health-care workers from flu infection. The N95 respirator is a protective mask that filters out 95 per cent of airborne particles.

October 2nd, 2009 WASHINGTON - Natural killer (NK) cells, part of our immune system, kill cells infected with a given virus. Researchers have now found that the cells also help keep T-cells from over-responding.

September 21st, 2009 Study: Flu viruses can spark heart attacksLONDON — Heart patients who catch the flu may have more to worry about than just a fever or the sniffles: the virus could also spark a heart attack, new research shows. Amid the global outbreak of swine flu, experts say it's crucial that heart patients get vaccinated against both regular flu and swine flu to avoid medical problems.

September 17th, 2009 US to share 10 percent swine flu vaccine globallyWASHINGTON — President Barack Obama says the United States will share 10 percent of its swine flu vaccine supply with other nations to help fight the deadly virus' global spread. The White House on Thursday announced that flu vaccines to counter the virus known among scientists as H1N1 would be available through the World Health Organization.

September 1st, 2009 Study: Swine flu easily overtakes other strainsWASHINGTON — Put swine flu in a room with other strains of influenza and it doesn't mix into a new superbug — it takes over, researchers reported Tuesday. University of Maryland researchers deliberately co-infected ferrets to examine one of the worst fears about the new swine flu.

August 24th, 2009 LONDON - A research team led by Indian-origin scientist claims to have identified a cellular molecule that not only helps recognize viruses that cause respiratory problems but also direct cells to produce defensive immune response. Dr Santanu Bose and colleagues have identified a cellular molecule, called NOD2, that detects respiratory viruses and can instruct cells to defend against them.

August 19th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new study has concluded that one key part of the immune system survived in the humans and other primates for almost 60 million years. Researchers at the Oregon State University (OSU) and the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in the US carried out the study.

July 13th, 2009 Study: 1918 flu survivors seem immune to swine fluWASHINGTON — The way swine flu multiplies in the respiratory system is more severe than ordinary winter flu, a new study in animals finds. Tests in monkeys, mice and ferrets show that the swine flu thrives in greater numbers all over the respiratory system, including the lungs, and causes lesions, instead of staying in the nose and throat like seasonal flu.

July 13th, 2009 Study finds pig role in 1918 pandemic's evolutionWASHINGTON — History's deadliest flu pandemic, in 1918, may not have made a sudden jump from birds to people after all. New research says the pig played a big role as an influenza mixing bowl — a gene probe with lessons for tracking today's swine flu outbreak.

June 13th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Newborns have immature immune system which makes them highly vulnerable to infections. Now, researchers from Children's Hospital Boston claim to have found a novel way to enhance innate immunity that would help keep respiratory syncytial virus, pneumococcus and rotavirus at bay.

May 21st, 2009 WASHINGTON - Researchers have identified a critical molecular mechanism that allows the flu virus to evade the body's immune response system. 'We have found a mechanism that the influenza virus uses to inhibit the body's immune response,' said Jae Jung, professor in molecular microbiology at University of Southern California (USC), and the principal study investigator.

May 10th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A man suffering heart problems died of complications from the influenza A (H1N1) flu strain. It was the third human swine flu fatality reported in the US so far, according to the Seattle Times newspaper.

May 5th, 2009 WASHINGTON - With the swine flu turning into a global pandemic, scientists have now discovered important clues about why influenza is more severe in some people than it is in others. Researchers at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have shown that the influenza virus can actually paralyse the immune systems of otherwise healthy individuals, which could lead to severe secondary bacterial infections, such as pneumonia.

April 28th, 2009 US rooting around for a new name for swine fluWASHINGTON — Is the name swine flu hogwash? U.S. officials said Tuesday they may abandon the term swine flu, for fear it's confusing people into thinking they could catch it from pork — which is flat-out wrong.