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(Precision Vaccinations News) Although human infections with Avian Influenza HPAI A(H5N1) virus (Bird Flu) are rare, having unprotected exposure to any infected animal poses a risk of infection.  The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued guidelines on March 29, 2024, to prevent exposure to this virus. These guidelines include using personal protective equipment, testing, antiviral treatment, patient investigations, monitoring exposed individuals, and administering antiviral chemoprophylaxis to those who have been exposed. Currently, the CDC considers the human health risk to people in the U.S. from Bird Flu viruses to be low. These CDC recommendations are based on information available as of March 2024 and will be updated as necessary when new information becomes available. Influenza A viruses infect birds' respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts, causing them to shed the virus in their saliva, mucous, and feces. Human infections wi...

Just know that with bronchitis, recovery can take time, especially when it comes to getting rid of the cough. "It's not going to be a day-by-day improvement; it's going to be a week-by-week improvement," Kalsi says. Acute vs. chronic bronchitis Acute bronchitis is what's commonly called a chest cold. According to Mayo Clinic, symptoms usually improve within a week to 10 days, though the cough can persist for weeks. Chronic bronchitis is long-term inflammation of the airways and is one of the more common lung diseases that contribute to COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease).  ...

While doubling up on cold and flu medicines like Sudafed and Dayquil may seem like a good idea—hitting symptoms hard for faster relief—doing so poses certain harms if you are not careful. This includes overdosing on medications used in both medicines, which not only increases the risk of side effects but might also end up injuring your liver and other organs. As a general rule, most multi-symptom cold & flu medicines should not be taken with other multi-symptom cold and flu medicines. If taking a single-symptom medication (like aspirin), you need to be sure that you don't take it with a drug of the same class (like Advil). Speak with your pharmacist or healthcare provider if you are not sure. This article lists 12 different over-the-counter (OTC) drugs commonly used to treat cold and flu symptoms and explains which can be taken together and which cannot. Verywell / Theresa Chiechi Pain Relievers/Fever Reducers There are two types of drugs people ...

A large analysis published Wednesday in the journal Pediatrics underscores the toll long Covid can take on children, in some cases leading to neurological, gastrointestinal, cardiovascular and behavioral symptoms in the months after an acute infection. "Long Covid in the U.S., in adults and in kids, is a serious problem," said Dr. Ziyad Al-Aly, chief of research and development at the V.A. St. Louis Health Care System and a clinical epidemiologist at Washington University in St. Louis, who studies the condition but was not involved in the new report. He said that the paper, which drew on numerous studies of long Covid in children, is "important" and illustrates that the condition can affect multiple organ systems. The new review suggested that 10 to 20 percent of children in the United States who had Covid developed long Covid. However, Dr. Suchitra Rao, a pediatric infectious disease expert at Children's Hospital Colorado and co-author on the paper, acknowledge...

DragonImages / iStock Data from US hospitals highlight the clinical and economic burden of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) and non-invasive all-cause pneumonia (ACP), researchers reported yesterday in the International Journal of Infectious Diseases. Using data collected from 90 large and small US hospitals in urban and rural areas from October 2015 through February 2020, researchers from Merck and from Becton, Dickinson and Company analyzed data on hospitalized adults with an ICD-10 code for IPD, non-invasive ACP, or a positive Streptococcus pneumoniae culture or antigen test. The primary outcomes of interest included in-hospital mortality, length of stay (LOS), costs per admission, and hospital margin per admission. The researchers also analyzed antimicrobial susceptibility data. Of the 88,182 adult patients (50.7% female) included in the study, 98.6% had non-invasive ACP and 40.2% were younger than 65 years. Of 1,450 culture-positive patients, 37.7% had an isolate that was...

In October 2019, FDA approved an indication for baloxavir treatment of acute uncomplicated influenza within 2 days of illness onset in people 12 years and older at high risk of developing influenza-related complications, based upon the findings of a clinical trial (Ison, 2020). In this clinical trial of early initiation of antiviral treatment for uncomplicated influenza in highrisk patients, baloxavir was superior to placebo and had similar overall efficacy to oseltamivir in the time to alleviation of symptoms. For patients with influenza B virus infection, baloxavir significantly reduced the median time to improvement of symptoms compared with oseltamivir by more than 24 hours. For patients with influenza B virus infection, baloxavir significantly reduced the median time to improvement of symptoms compared with oseltamivir by more than 24 hours. However, there are no available data for baloxavir treatment of influenza in pregnant people, immunocompromised people, or in people with sev...

Medications to reduce fever, pain and discomfort like acetaminophen (Tylenol) are safe and effective for infants and children over 2 months of age, says Dr. Anderson, adding that ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil) is safe and effective for kids ages 6 months and older. However, you should never give a child aspirin, advises the AAP. When Is It Safe to Give Kids Cold Medicine? And when it comes to giving cold medicine to kids, Dr. Anderson issues a warning, citing the AAP's recommendation to avoid cold medicines in younger populations. In fact, the AAP has the following guidelines on cold medications for children: Cold medicine should not be used in children under 4 years old For children ages 4 to 6, consult your pediatrician before administering cold medicine For children over 6 years old, cold medicine may be given with strict adherence to the dosage instructions provided on the packaging. Additionally, parents should note cold medicines are potentially dangerous to childr...

Four years after hospitals in New York City overflowed with Covid patients, emergency physician Dr. Sonya Stokes remains shaken by how unprepared and misguided the American health system was. Hospital leadership instructed health workers to forgo protective N95 masks in the early months of 2020, as covid cases mounted. "We were watching patients die," Stokes said, "and being told we didn't need a high level of protection from people who were not taking these risks." Droves of front-line workers fell sick as they tried to save lives without proper face masks and other protective measures. More than 3,600 died in the first year. "Nurses were going home to their elderly parents, transmitting Covid to their families," Stokes recalled. "It was awful." Across the country, hospital leadership cited advice from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on the limits of airborne transmission. The agency's early statements backed employers...

This web page provides estimates on the burden of influenza (flu) and the effects of annual flu vaccination in the United States for the 2019–2020 flu season. While previous updates to the prevented burden estimates for the 2019-2020 season included preliminary input data, this update provides the final estimates for flu vaccine prevented burden for the 2019-2020 season. For the past several years, CDC has used a model to estimate the numbers of flu illnesses, medical visits, hospitalizations, and deaths and has also estimated the effect of flu vaccination on these outcomes in the United States (1-6). The methods used to calculate the estimates have been described previously (1,2,6). CDC uses the estimates of the impact of flu vaccination to inform policy and communications promoting influenza vaccination as the best way to prevent flu. 2019–2020 Estimates of Burden Prevented by Flu Vaccination CDC estimates that during the 2019–2020 season 36 million people were ill, 16 million pe...

Key facts There are around a billion cases of seasonal influenza annually, including 3–5 million cases of severe illness. It causes 290 000 to 650 000 respiratory deaths annually. Ninety-nine percent of deaths in children under 5 years of age with influenza-related lower respiratory tract infections are in developing countries. Symptoms begin 1–4 days after infection and usually last around a week. Overview Seasonal influenza (the flu) is an acute respiratory infection caused by influenza viruses. It is common in all parts of the world. Most people recover without treatment. Influenza spreads easily between people when they cough or sneeze. Vaccination is the best way to prevent the disease. Symptoms of influenza include acute onset of fever, cough, sore throat, body aches and fatigue. Treatment should aim to relieve symptoms. People with the flu should rest and drink plenty of liquids. Most people will recover on their own within a week. Medical care may be ...

People who can get a nasal spray flu vaccine: The nasal spray vaccine is approved for people 2 years through 49 years of age. Many people in this age group can receive the nasal spray vaccine. The nasal spray vaccine is not recommended for some groups, such as people who are pregnant and people with some medical conditions. People who SHOULD NOT get a nasal spray vaccine: Children younger than 2 years of age. Adults 50 years of age and older. People who have had a severe or life-threatening allergic reaction to any ingredient in the nasal spray vaccine (other than egg proteins). People who have had a severe allergic reaction to any flu vaccine. Children and adolescents 2 through 17 years of age who are receiving aspirin- or salicylate-containing medications. People with weakened immune systems (immunosuppression) due to any cause, including (but not limited to) immunosuppression from medications, congenital or acquired immune disorders, HIV infection, or asplenia. Peo...

How much does a flu vaccine cost? Most health insurance plans cover the cost of a flu shot if you visit an in-network provider. You can typically find free flu shots without insurance at your job or school. Other places that might offer free flu shots include local pharmacies, grocery stores, health departments, churches and synagogues, and community centers. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that everyone aged 6 months and older (with just a few exceptions) get a flu shot before the end of October of each year. Flu season typically begins in October and peaks from December to February. Read on to learn where to get free flu shots without insurance and how long they last. SDI Productions / Getty Images The flu shot is free if you have health insurance through the Affordable Care Act (ACA). These plans will not charge you a copayment or coinsurance if you visit an in-network healthcare provider, even if you have not me...

Enlarge this image Doctors and researchers question the efficacy of many common over-the-counter treatments for colds and flus. Jeff Greenberg/Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Jeff Greenberg/Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images When you stroll down the cold and flu aisle in a drugstore, it's easy to get lost in the dizzying array of products promising to clear sinus pressure, dry up sniffles and stop plaguing coughs. Some concoctions even offer it all in one magical pill. But doctors say the science behind some of those claims is lackluster. "There's just not much that's very effectiv...

It's that time of year again, when stuffy noses and irrepressible coughs start to show up everywhere. The best precaution you can take against influenza or Covid infection is to get vaccinated. But there is little you can do for the common cold and other respiratory illnesses, especially once you get sick. Most are caused by viruses, so you cannot cure them with antibiotics, which are used to treat bacterial infections. While drugs like Paxlovid are accessible for treating Covid, antiviral treatments for influenza, like Tamiflu, are usually reserved for people who have tested positive for the flu and are at risk of developing severe complications, such as those who are pregnant, elderly or immunocompromised. For everyone else, doctors suggest resting and waiting out your symptoms — which for flu, can include a fever, headache, body aches and a stuffy or runny nose that lasts three to five days. Some people may also develop a cough or sore throat or experience fatigue, which can las...