Influenza Virus Net is the web resource for anyone interested in influenza and flu pandemics. Influenza, commonly referred to as the flu, is an infectious disease caused by RNA viruses of the family Orthomyxoviridae (the influenza viruses), that affects humans, birds and other mammals. The virus spreads easily from person to person. Influenza circulates worldwide and can affect anybody in any age group. Influenza causes annual epidemics that peak during winter in temperate regions. Influenza is a serious public health problem that causes severe illnesses and deaths for higher risk populations. The most common symptoms of the disease are chills, fever, sore throat, muscle pains, severe headache, coughing, weakness/fatigue and general discomfort. Sore throat, fever and coughs are the most frequent symptoms. In more serious cases, influenza causes pneumonia, which can be fatal, particularly for the young and the elderly. An influenza epidemic can take an economic toll through lost workforce productivity, and strain health services. Vaccination is the most effective way to prevent infection.

The objectives of Influenza Virus Net are to be the public and professional information resource for influenza and to serve as a network in the exchange of information and news related to influenza.

• 'Sharp upswing': Flu shots encouraged after early peak of Alberta cases, says U of A infectious disease specialist - Edmonton Journal
  Sun, 29 Jan 2023 19:19 GMT
• Canine influenza outbreak temporarily cancels surrender appointments at Plano Animal Shelter - Plano Magazine
  Tue, 31 Jan 2023 02:00 GMT
• Data: Looking at COVID-19, flu, and RSV heading into Super Bowl - ABC15 Arizona in Phoenix
  Tue, 31 Jan 2023 00:46 GMT
• Plano news roundup: Canine influenza outbreak spurs temporary animal shelter changes - Star Local Media
  Tue, 31 Jan 2023 18:00 GMT
• Dozens of dogs sick with canine influenza at Plano Animal Shelter - The Dallas Morning News
  Tue, 31 Jan 2023 18:07 GMT
• How Effective is the Flu Shot This Year? Here's When We'll Know - Healthline
  Fri, 09 Dec 2022 08:00 GMT
• Canine flu: What to know to protect your dog - The Washington Post
  Thu, 15 Dec 2022 08:00 GMT
• Bay Port student dies from complications caused by flu and strep B - WBAY
  Fri, 23 Dec 2022 08:00 GMT
• What to know about the triple threat of influenza, Covid and RSV - CNN
  Fri, 09 Dec 2022 08:00 GMT
• Children are dying from flu. Some provinces are slow to report it — and these experts say that's dangerous - CBC
  Sun, 18 Dec 2022 08:00 GMT
• Three Teenagers With Influenza Die After Secondary Infection - Medscape
  Fri, 27 Jan 2023 15:58 GMT
• Bolivia officials urge public not to panic over avian influenza ... - Outbreak News Today
  Wed, 01 Feb 2023 01:25 GMT
• Management of contacts of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 ... - GOV.UK
  Tue, 31 Jan 2023 11:19 GMT
• Pediatric Influenza: Managing the Comeback Kid - Healio
  Tue, 31 Jan 2023 17:57 GMT
• Columbia sees dip in flu cases, 'second bump' could arrive | COVID-19 - Columbia Missourian
  Tue, 31 Jan 2023 23:15 GMT

• PRO/AH/EDR> Avian influenza (116): Europe (Russia) zoo, wild bird, backyard, HPAI H5N1, OIE
  Mon, 20 Sep 2021 15:46:50 -0400
  Avian Influenza H5N1 -- Russia
  Summary
  Report type: immediate notification
  Started: 27 Aug 2021
  Confirmed: 2 Sep 2021
  Reported: 15 Sep 2021
  Reason for notification: recurrence
  Last occurrence: 13 Dec 2020
  Causal agent: highly pathogenic avian influenza virus
  Serotype: H5N1
  Nature of diagnosis: clinical, laboratory
  This event pertains to a defined zone within the country.
  New outbreaks (3)
  Summary of outbreaks
  Total outbreaks (3)
  Outbreak location 1: Zateryanny mir, Chelyabinsk gorsovet,


• PRO/AH/EDR> Avian influenza, human (20): Cambodia (SI) H9N2
  Sun, 19 Sep 2021 19:23:42 -0400
  Avian Influenza -- Cambodia
  Abstract
  ---------
  In February 2021, routine sentinel surveillance for influenza-like illness in Cambodia detected a human avian influenza A(H9N2) virus infection. Investigations identified no recent H9N2 virus infections in 43 close contacts. One chicken sample from the infected child's house was positive for H9N2 virus and genetically similar to the human virus.
  --
  Communicated by:
  Jurre Siegers
  Institute Pasteur du Cambodge
  
  [ProMED thanks Jurre Siegers for sharing the early

• Vinyl Sulfone-functionalized Acetalated Dextran Microparticles as a Subunit Broadly Acting Influenza Vaccine Tue, 31 Jan 2023 06:00:00 -0500
  Influenza is a global health concern with millions of infections occurring yearly. Seasonal flu vaccines are one way to combat this virus; however, they are poorly protective against influenza as the virus is constantly mutating, particularly at the immunodominant hemagglutinin (HA) head group. A more broadly acting approach involves Computationally Optimized Broadly Reactive Antigen (COBRA). COBRA HA generates a broad immune response that is capable of protecting against mutating strains....
• Clonal Kinetics and Single-Cell Transcriptional Profiles of T Cells Mobilized to Blood by Acute Exercise Tue, 31 Jan 2023 06:00:00 -0500
  CONCLUSIONS: Acute exercise promotes an oligoclonal T-cell repertoire by preferentially mobilizing the most dominant clones, several of which are specific to known viral antigens and display differentially expressed genes indicative of cytotoxicity, activation, and apoptosis.
• Application of Cell Penetrating Peptides as a Promising Drug Carrier to Combat Viral Infections Tue, 31 Jan 2023 06:00:00 -0500
  Novel effective drugs or therapeutic vaccines have been already developed to eradicate viral infections. Some non-viral carriers have been used for effective drug delivery to a target cell or tissue. Among them, cell penetrating peptides (CPPs) attracted a special interest to enhance drug delivery into the cells with low toxicity. They were also applied to transfer peptide/protein-based and nucleic acids-based therapeutic vaccines against viral infections. CPPs-conjugated drugs or vaccines were...
• Trimeric, APC-Targeted Subunit Vaccines Protect Mice against Seasonal and Pandemic Influenza Tue, 31 Jan 2023 06:00:00 -0500
  Viral subunit vaccines contain the specific antigen deemed most important for development of protective immune responses. Typically, the chosen antigen is a surface protein involved in cellular entry of the virus, and neutralizing antibodies may prevent this. For influenza, hemagglutinin (HA) is thus a preferred antigen. However, the natural trimeric form of HA is often not considered during subunit vaccine development. Here, we have designed a vaccine format that maintains the trimeric HA...
• Viral immunity: Basic mechanisms and therapeutic applications-a Keystone Symposia report Tue, 31 Jan 2023 06:00:00 -0500
  Viruses infect millions of people each year. Both endemic viruses circulating throughout the population as well as novel epidemic and pandemic viruses pose ongoing threats to global public health. Developing more effective tools to address viruses requires not only in-depth knowledge of the virus itself but also of our immune system's response to infection. On June 29 to July 2, 2022, researchers met for the Keystone symposium "Viral Immunity: Basic Mechanisms and Therapeutic Applications." This...
• Biopolitics: Power, Pandemics, and War Tue, 31 Jan 2023 06:00:00 -0500
  COVID-19 and the subsequent global response have had a profound impact on the public health, economic health, and political health in nearly every country. This article examines the biopolitics of power and pandemics in war. Three case studies are presented: the Spanish influenza outbreak of 1918-1920 and responses to the COVID-19 outbreak in both Syria and in eastern Ukraine. The pandemic's impact has been particularly acute in active warzones, undermining the ability of governments and...
• Rationing scarce healthcare capacity: A study of the ventilator allocation guidelines during the COVID-19 pandemic Tue, 31 Jan 2023 06:00:00 -0500
  In the United States, even though national guidelines for allocating scarce healthcare resources are lacking, 26 states have specific ventilator allocation guidelines to be invoked in case of a shortage. While several states developed their guidelines in response to the recent COVID-19 pandemic, New York State developed these guidelines in 2015 as "pandemic influenza is a foreseeable threat, one that we cannot ignore." The primary objective of this study is to assess the existing procedures and...
• Evaluation of Microbiological Concordance of a Rapid Molecular Diagnostic Pneumonia Panel in a Real-World Population with Pneumonia Tue, 31 Jan 2023 06:00:00 -0500
  CONCLUSIONS: The PN Panel detected more bacteria and resistance gene targets than standard culture methods. To optimize the use of this technology for both patient care and antimicrobial stewardship, results should be coupled with clinical assessment and clinician education.
• Enhancer-instructed epigenetic landscape and chromatin compartmentalization dictate a primary antibody repertoire protective against specific bacterial pathogens Mon, 30 Jan 2023 06:00:00 -0500
  Antigen receptor loci are organized into variable (V), diversity (D) and joining (J) gene segments that rearrange to generate antigen receptor repertoires. Here, we identified an enhancer (E34) in the murine immunoglobulin kappa (Igk) locus that instructed rearrangement of V(κ) genes located in a sub-topologically associating domain, including a V(κ) gene encoding for antibodies targeting bacterial phosphorylcholine. We show that E34 instructs the nuclear repositioning of the E34...
• A TLR7-nanoparticle adjuvant promotes a broad immune response against heterologous strains of influenza and SARS-CoV-2 Mon, 30 Jan 2023 06:00:00 -0500
  The ideal vaccine against viruses such as influenza and SARS-CoV-2 must provide a robust, durable and broad immune protection against multiple viral variants. However, antibody responses to current vaccines often lack robust cross-reactivity. Here we describe a polymeric Toll-like receptor 7 agonist nanoparticle (TLR7-NP) adjuvant, which enhances lymph node targeting, and leads to persistent activation of immune cells and broad immune responses. When mixed with alum-adsorbed antigens, this...