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.

• Low influenza activity in Washington so far, but don’t skip your flu shot - The Seattle Times
  Sat, 25 Sep 2021 13:00 GMT
• Influenza & COVID-19 Vaccine Available At CCHD - newsdakota.com
  Wed, 22 Sep 2021 18:51 GMT
• Influenza Illnesses Trail Both COVID-19 and Pneumonia - PrecisionVaccinations
  Sat, 25 Sep 2021 15:02 GMT
• What to Expect With Influenza in the Era of COVID-19 - Contagionlive.com
  Tue, 14 Sep 2021 07:00 GMT
• 10th Novel Influenza A Virus Case Reported - PrecisionVaccinations
  Fri, 24 Sep 2021 19:29 GMT
• First phase of influenza shots begins on Friday - 台北時報
  Sun, 26 Sep 2021 16:00 GMT
• A flu shot can offer protection against serious illness due to influenza - UCHealth Today
  Mon, 20 Sep 2021 19:43 GMT
• Swine flu vaccine: Safety, effectiveness, and side effects - Medical News Today
  Tue, 21 Sep 2021 10:55 GMT
• When Delta and Influenza Intersect - Contagionlive.com
  Tue, 21 Sep 2021 18:10 GMT
• How coronavirus differs from influenza: Symptoms to watch for this flu season - Fox News
  Tue, 03 Mar 2020 08:00 GMT
• Flu season will be bad this year, research predicts - Livescience.com
  Wed, 01 Sep 2021 07:00 GMT
• Influenza is Hard to Find in the USA - PrecisionVaccinations
  Fri, 03 Sep 2021 07:00 GMT
• Results from Novavax NanoFlu Influenza Vaccine Phase 3 Clinical Trial Published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases - Yahoo Finance
  Fri, 24 Sep 2021 00:50 GMT
• Flu Season 2021-2022: What's Ahead? - Everyday Health
  Fri, 27 Aug 2021 07:00 GMT
• Health officials urge public to get influenza shots as flu season gets underway - WJHL-TV News Channel 11
  Mon, 13 Sep 2021 07:00 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

• Variables Associated with Coronavirus Disease 2019 Vaccine Hesitancy Amongst Patients with Neurological Disorders Sat, 25 Sep 2021 06:00:00 -0400
  CONCLUSION: Upon identifying the variables associated with vaccine hesitancy amongst patients with neurological disorders, our clinic is now able to efficiently provide ancillary COVID-19 education to sub-populations at risk for vaccine hesitancy. While our results may be limited to the sub-population of patients with neurological disorders, the findings nonetheless provide valuable insight to understanding vaccine hesitancy.
• Determinants of Influenza Vaccination Coverage among Greek Health Care Workers amid COVID-19 Pandemic Sat, 25 Sep 2021 06:00:00 -0400
  In the context of the evolving current COVID-19 pandemic, influenza vaccination among the public and health care workers is of particular importance. There are sparse data on the influenza vaccination coverage among health care workers amid COVID-19 pandemic. We aimed to study possible factors associated with influenza vaccination coverage among Greek physicians, dentists, and pharmacists during the flu season 2020-2021. We formulated the hypothesis that COVID-19 pandemic exerted a positive...
• Improved pathogenicity of H9N2 subtype of avian influenza virus induced by mutations occurred after serial adaptations in mice Sat, 25 Sep 2021 06:00:00 -0400
  H9N2 subtype, a low pathogenic avian influenza virus, is emerging as a major causative agent circulating poultry workplaces across China and other Asian countries. Increasing case number of interspecies transmissions to mammals reported recently provoked a great concern about its risks inducing global pandemics. In an attempt to understand the underlying mechanism of how the H9N2 virus disrupts the interspecies segregation to transmit to mammals. A mutant H9N2 strain was obtained by passaging...
• Is it possible to hospitalize patients in multiple-bed room without increasing the risk of hospital-acquired influenza? Description of a pragmatic preventive strategy in a French university hospital Sat, 25 Sep 2021 06:00:00 -0400
  CONCLUSION: These preliminary results suggest that the occurrence of HAI in multiple-bed rooms can be limited by the implementation of maximum precautions and urge us to promote further evaluation of the strategy. A detection bias should be considered without a systematic neighbors monitoring.
• Influenza vaccination among caregivers and household contacts of children with congenital heart disease before and during COVID-19 pandemic Sat, 25 Sep 2021 06:00:00 -0400
  CONCLUSIONS: Vaccination coverage of caregivers and household contacts of children with CHD is suboptimal. Influenza vaccination campaigns should take into consideration the specific characteristics of parental groups and target interventions accordingly to increase their vaccine uptake and indirectly protect children with CHD.
• Proteolytic activation of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein Sat, 25 Sep 2021 06:00:00 -0400
  Spike (S) protein cleavage is a crucial step in coronavirus infection. In this review, we discuss this process, with particular focus on the novel coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Compared with influenza virus and paramyxovirus membrane fusion proteins, the cleavage activation mechanism of coronavirus S protein is much more complex. The S protein has two cleavage sites (S1/S2 and S2'), and the cleavage motif for furin protease at the S1/S2 site that...
• Covalent functionalization of polypropylene filters with diazirine-photosensitizer conjugates producing visible light driven virus inactivating materials Sat, 25 Sep 2021 06:00:00 -0400
  The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has highlighted the weaknesses of relying on single-use mask and respirator personal protective equipment (PPE) and the global supply chain that supports this market. There have been no major innovations in filter technology for PPE in the past two decades. Non-woven textiles used for filtering PPE are single-use products in the healthcare environment; use and protection is focused on preventing infection from airborne or aerosolized pathogens such as Influenza A virus or...
• The antimicrobial peptide S100A8/A9 produced by airway epithelium functions as a potent and direct regulator of macrophage phenotype and function Sat, 25 Sep 2021 06:00:00 -0400
  Elevated counts of alveolar macrophages and attenuated phagocytic capacity are associated with COPD. Factors governing macrophage phagocytosis are poorly understood. In this study we aimed to compare the influence of airway epithelial cell secretions from COPD and nonCOPD subjects on macrophage phagocytic activity, and the role of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs).Supernatants from nonCOPD and COPD small airway epithelial cell (SAEC) cultures exposed to Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi), were applied to...
• Influenza vaccine uptake among at-risk adults (aged 16-64 years) in the UK: a retrospective database analysis Sat, 25 Sep 2021 06:00:00 -0400
  CONCLUSIONS: Uptake of the influenza vaccine by adults aged 16-64 years in a clinical at-risk group was substantially below the national ambitions. As a result, many individuals in the UK remain at high risk of developing severe influenza or complications. Given that people who are vulnerable to COVID-19 are also at increased risk of complications from influenza, during the 2020-2021 season, there is a heightened need for healthcare professionals across the UK to address suboptimal vaccine...
• Childhood vaccination uptake and associated factors among children 12-23 months in rural settings of the Gambia: a community-based cross-sectional study Sat, 25 Sep 2021 06:00:00 -0400
  CONCLUSION: There is moderately a burden of incomplete vaccination in rural Gambia. Vaccination programs should be constantly monitored and evaluated by the Ministry of Health, especially in rural areas. To increase societal awareness and vaccine acceptance, a robust community-based health education efforts are desperately needed as part of initiatives to increase vaccine service utilization for these high-risk classes.