With the flu season looming, public health officials urge nearly all Americans over 6 months old to get immunized starting next month. Strategize now to avoid getting the flu while COVID-19 is raging.
Two new human studies back earlier hints that vaccines designed to prevent respiratory infections might also provide some protection against Alzheimer's disease.
Though COVID-19 has captured the headlines, influenza places a huge burden on the health care system. This year's flu shot provides good protection, the CDC says, so do get one if you haven't already.
Many of us feel increasingly stressed and short on time as the day wears on. But does that make for worse medical care? Studies suggest preventive maintenance suffers with late appointments.
At least 8,000 people have died from the flu in the U.S. this season. The good news: Easy steps you can take now to protect against the flu may also help you steer clear of the new coronavirus.
The internet abounds with myths about the relative risks of flu and flu shots, maybe partly because it's an annual shot and nobody likes needles. Here's the latest on what you might need — and why.
Pregnant women and people with chronic health conditions such as asthma, diabetes and heart disease are particularly vulnerable to flu complications yet lag the elderly in getting vaccinated.
When 39-year-old Charlie Hinderliter got the flu last winter, he ended up in a medically induced coma and spent 58 days hospitalized. Serious, even fatal, complications can hit patients of any age.
College students are among the least likely to get vaccinated against the flu, which killed more than 80,000 people last winter. Experts say the reasons are a combination of fear and misperception.
Overall, this season's vaccine is about 36 percent effective in blunting or preventing flu, health officials say. That's better than earlier predictions, and good enough to prevent flu in thousands.
There's plenty of vaccine available this year, and the sooner people get vaccinated the better, federal health officials say. A recent drop in vaccination, especially among the elderly, concerns them.
The vaccine is already showing up in drugstores, but maybe wait until Halloween to get the shot, doctors say, especially if you're over 65 and want to be protected against flu this winter.
A panel of advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended against using a needle-free flu vaccine that's popular with pediatricians, parents and children.
Babies are much less likely to get the flu in their first months of life if mom got a flu shot while she was pregnant, a study finds. Yet most expectant mothers don't get immunized.
An NPR poll finds nearly two-thirds of adults got this year's flu vaccine or plan to get it. Many of those who are skipping vaccination cite a lack of need and worries about side effects.
LAS VEGAS (AP) — The regional health district in southern Nevada will begin offering annual flu vaccines beginning Monday at clinics in Las Vegas, Henderson and Mesquite.
Public health officials were surprised last year when the dominant strain of circulating flu mutated after the flu vaccine had been formulated. The current version looks like a better match.
Step aside, injections! The next flu vaccine you see might look more like a bandage — a patch covered in 100 microscopic needles that dissolve in the skin in just a few minutes.
