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.

• The flu killed nearly 200 children last season. This time, 1 has died. - The Washington Post
  Tue, 02 Mar 2021 23:28 GMT
• Influenza vaccine produces protective antibodies against diverse flu strains in animals - EurekAlert
  Wed, 03 Mar 2021 19:21 GMT
• New computer algorithm offers a path toward pan-influenza and coronavirus vaccine - News-Medical.Net
  Wed, 03 Mar 2021 01:56 GMT
• Influenza A (H3N2) variant virus – United States of America - WHO/Europe
  Fri, 05 Feb 2021 08:00 GMT
• Avian influenza A(H5N8) infects humans in Russian Federation - WHO/Europe
  Tue, 02 Mar 2021 18:03 GMT
• Vaccine development software shows promise in influenza effort, could help defeat coronavirus - EurekAlert
  Mon, 01 Mar 2021 16:30 GMT
• What flu season? Michigan influenza barely registers during COVID - Bridge Michigan
  Wed, 24 Feb 2021 20:51 GMT
• Mobidiag SARS-CoV-2, Influenza A/B, RSV Test Receives CE Mark - GenomeWeb
  Mon, 01 Mar 2021 13:59 GMT
• February 2021 ACIP Meeting - Zoster & Influenza Vaccines | Covid-19 | news-journal.com - Longview News-Journal
  Wed, 03 Mar 2021 15:18 GMT
• News COVID Death Risk Is 3.5 Times That of Influenza - WebMD
  Mon, 15 Feb 2021 08:00 GMT
• 6 Weird Ways People Tried To Cure The 1918 Influenza - Forbes
  Mon, 01 Mar 2021 00:12 GMT
• Covid-19 nearly eradicated the US flu season, but is influenza gone for good? - The Independent
  Mon, 01 Mar 2021 18:49 GMT
• Where has the flu gone? Influenza activity hasn’t been this low in recent memory and COVID has a lot to do wi - MassLive.com
  Sat, 13 Feb 2021 08:00 GMT
• Clinical update: ATAGI advice on seasonal influenza vaccines in 2021 - Australian Government Department of Health
  Wed, 03 Mar 2021 05:29 GMT
• Study: First influenza infection does not make people immune to future flu viruses - News-Medical.Net
  Fri, 19 Feb 2021 08:00 GMT

• PRO/AH/EDR> Avian influenza (39): Ukraine (KS) wild bird, HPAI H5, OIE
  Wed, 03 Mar 2021 14:03:22 -0500
  Avian Influenza -- Ukraine
  Information received on 2 Mar 2021 from Svitlana Shlapatska, focal point for animal disease notification, Ukraine
  Summary
  Report type: immediate notification
  Date of start of the event: 28 Feb 2021
  Date of confirmation of the event: 1 Mar 2021
  Reason for notification: recurrence of a listed disease
  Date of previous occurrence: 12 Jan 2017
  Manifestation of disease: clinical disease
  Causal agent: highly pathogenic avian influenza virus
  Serotype: H5
  Nature of diagnosis: laboratory

• The impact of influenza pulmonary infection and inflammation on vagal bronchopulmonary sensory neurons Thu, 04 Mar 2021 06:00:00 -0500
  Influenza A virus (IAV) is rapidly detected in the airways by the immune system, with resident parenchymal cells and leukocytes orchestrating viral sensing and the induction of antiviral inflammatory responses. The airways are innervated by heterogeneous populations of vagal sensory neurons which also play an important role in pulmonary defense. How these neurons respond to IAV respiratory infection remains unclear. Here, we use a murine model to provide the first evidence that vagal sensory...
• Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG): the adroit vaccine Thu, 04 Mar 2021 06:00:00 -0500
  CONCLUSION: BCG is a multifaceted vaccine, with many numerous potential applications to vaccination strategies being employed for current and future viral infections. There however is a need for further studies into the immunologic mechanisms behind these non-specific effects, for these potentials to become reality, as we usher in the beginning of the second century since the vaccine's discovery.
• Data on swan arrival, departure, and population size on the Asadokoro tidal flat, Aomori Prefecture, Japan, from 1956 to 2010 Thu, 04 Mar 2021 06:00:00 -0500
  The arrival and departure dates and the daily maximum populations of migrating swans (Cygnus cygnus) on the Asadokoro tidal flat, Hiranai town, Aomori Prefecture, Japan, were recorded by elementary school students for more than 50 years between 1956 and 2010. The Asadokoro tidal flat, which lies along the coast of Mutsu Bay, has been designated a National Special Natural Monument, known as "The swans of Kominato and their migration grounds." This long history of observation unfortunately came to...
• Environmental Conditioning and Aerosol Infection of Mice Thu, 04 Mar 2021 06:00:00 -0500
  Influenza infection models in mice are widely used to study flu-mediated immune responses and pathology. However, most laboratory mice are housed at 20 °C and 50% relative humidity (RH). To better recapitulate influenza epidemics and immune responses during winter seasons, mice were housed at 20 °C under different humidity conditions, 10-20% or 50% RH. Here, we describe a protocol for using aerosolized droplets to infect mice with influenza under different environmental conditions. Using this...
• A Triple-challenge Mouse Model of Allergic Airway Disease, Primary Influenza Infection, and Secondary Bacterial Infection Thu, 04 Mar 2021 06:00:00 -0500
  Asthma is a global problem that affects millions of individuals. An increased risk of respiratory viral and bacterial infections is one of the complications of asthma. We recently reported that mice with ovalbumin-induced allergic airway disease (AAD) are protected against influenza-Streptococcus pneumoniae co-infection. Here, we describe in detail a protocol on how to induce AAD and influenza-S. pneumoniae co-infection in mice and to evaluate the specific roles of asthma on immunity to viral...
• Characteristics, Management and In-Hospital Clinical Outcomes Among Inpatients with Acute Exacerbation of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease in China: Results from the Phase I Data of ACURE Study Thu, 04 Mar 2021 06:00:00 -0500
  CONCLUSION: Clinical features of Chinese AECOPD inpatients were different from those of other populations. In real-world China, the clinical management during stable period was unsatisfied, whereas therapy during hospitalization was effective regarding in-hospital clinical outcomes regardless of hospital category.
• Immunogenicity of prime-boost protein subunit vaccine strategies against SARS-CoV-2 in mice and macaques Thu, 04 Mar 2021 06:00:00 -0500
  SARS-CoV-2 vaccines are advancing into human clinical trials, with emphasis on eliciting high titres of neutralising antibodies against the viral spike (S). However, the merits of broadly targeting S versus focusing antibody onto the smaller receptor binding domain (RBD) are unclear. Here we assess prototypic S and RBD subunit vaccines in homologous or heterologous prime-boost regimens in mice and non-human primates. We find S is highly immunogenic in mice, while the comparatively poor...
• Survey of occupational health-related activities conducted at hospitals in the Kanto region (2020) Thu, 04 Mar 2021 06:00:00 -0500
  CONCLUSIONS: Legally required infection control and occupational health-related practices were conducted in most hospitals. Additionally, several hospitals undertook work system reforms, including the management of changes in conference time and task shifting or sharing.
• Broad neutralization of H1 and H3 viruses by adjuvanted influenza HA stem vaccines in nonhuman primates Thu, 04 Mar 2021 06:00:00 -0500
  Seasonal influenza vaccines confer protection against specific viral strains but have restricted breadth that limits their protective efficacy. The H1 and H3 subtypes of influenza A virus cause most of the seasonal epidemics observed in humans and are the major drivers of influenza A virus-associated mortality. The consequences of pandemic spread of COVID-19 underscore the public health importance of prospective vaccine development. Here, we show that headless hemagglutinin (HA) stabilized-stem...
• Interaction of NEP with G Protein Pathway Suppressor 2 Facilitates Influenza A Virus Replication by Weakening the Inhibition of GPS2 to RNA Synthesis and Ribonucleoprotein Assembly Thu, 04 Mar 2021 06:00:00 -0500
  The nuclear export protein (NEP) serves multiple functions in the life cycle of influenza A virus (IAV). Identifying novel host proteins that interact with NEP and understanding their functions in IAV replication are of great interest. In this study, we screened and confirmed the direct interaction of G protein pathway suppressor 2 (GPS2) with NEP through a yeast two-hybrid screening assay and glutathione S-transferase-pulldown and co-immunoprecipitation assays. Knockdown or knockout of GPS2...