Category: Flu Virus

FRANKFORT, Ky. (KT) The Kentucky Department for Public Health (KDPH) has launched a new respiratory virus website, which they are calling a one-stop spot for finding information on COVID-19, influenza and RSV.

KDPH Commissioner Dr. Steven Stack says the move follows the approach the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other states are taking to help families find respiratory virus information at one location.

As we continue into the fall and winter cold and flu season, this site, and a new Respiratory Virus Data Dashboard that is part of this site, will provide awareness of where Kentucky stands with regard to spikes and decreases in these viruses to help inform personal decisions, he stated.

The Respiratory Virus Data Dashboard will include COVID-19 and influenza data, since October marks the official start of flu season. Data will be updated weekly, on Thursdays, and will replace the current flu report and current COVID-19 dashboard. Weekly reports will be archived.

Information on the dashboard includes:

--The number of positive laboratory PCR test results for SARS-CoV-2 and influenza virus reported to KDPH.

--The percentage of outpatient visits attributed to influenza-like illness reported through the sentinel health care provider network.

--The number of emergency department visits and hospitalizations associated with COVID-19, influenza and/or RSV.

--The number of reported deaths associated with COVID-19 and/or influenza.

--Pediatric deaths attributed to COVID/flu.

Anyone can get a respiratory virus infection, but some people are at high risk for serious illness. Therefore, the Department for Public Health recommends Kentuckians follow the tips listed on the site to protect themselves and others this fall and winter.

A summary from the weekly update that was issued Thursday evening, October 19 indicates COVID-19 activity is moderate in Kentucky, while hospitalizationsfor COVID-19, influenza, and RSV remain low.

Find out more by going to CoverYourCough.ky.gov.

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Department of health launches respiratory virus website | News ... - Kentucky Today

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. At a two-day summit hosted in one of the nations top poultry states, researchers and educators from across the Americas discussed efforts to find ways to manage the spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza, a disease that has cost the poultry industry millions of birds across five continents.

The International Avian Influenza Summit was hosted Monday and Tuesday by the Center of Excellence for Poultry Science and the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, part of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. The summit drew 1,842 registrations from 81 countries. The wide-ranging agenda featured presenters from Mexico, Chile, Scotland, the United States and other countries.

Since 2021, a very deadly strain of avian influenza called H5N1, has been circulating and affecting millions of birds and mammals around the world.

We are experiencing one of the most deadly bird flu outbreaks ever, said Deacue Fields, head of the Division of Agriculture. This outbreak has cost U.S. poultry producers nearly 59 million birds across 47 states. There was a tremendous economic impact from this outbreak. We saw extremely high egg prices and also turkey prices.

Its important to come together now and be proactive in discussing the strategies that we can look to, to mitigate further spread of this terrible disease.

We can make a global impact on avian influenza, organizer Guillermo Tellez-Isaias, a research professor at the Center of Excellence for Poultry Science, said on Monday. Your contributions will mean a more resilient future.

Among the first days presenters was Julianna Lenoch, national coordinator wildlife services for National Wildlife Disease Program at APHIS the Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service. Lenoch described efforts to monitor movement of the disease through migratory birds and other means.

The APHIS surveillance team restarted its efforts in May after a pause during the breeding period of the sampled birds.

Were about four months into the surveillance right now. Our team, as of last week, had already collected about 13,000 samples, she said. Our target this year will be to get to almost 42,000 samples.

She said that in the birds sampled in spring of 2022, around 7 percent of them were coming positive. We were running just shy of 1.9 percent in the winter of 2023 so a pretty dramatic drop in the apparent prevalence.

She said that samples collected from May-August of 2022 showed a 3 percent prevalence of avian influenza. During the same period in 2023, she said there was a much lower prevalence despite getting more than 7,000 samples.

We only found H5N1 in a total of 10 birds during that period, Lenoch said. So, either we were sampling in different regions, or theres simply not as much avian influenza circulating, or we may be looking at a little bit of a tipping point where some of our wild bird species at least the dabbling ducks may be developing some immunity.

Unfortunately, we are starting to see pickup both in our surveillance samples and our domestic side, Lenoch said. So avian influenza is starting to trickle in again here in the United States.

Highly pathogenic avian influenza has been confirmed this year in commercial and/or small flocks inOklahoma, Colorado, Montana, Utah, Idaho, South Dakota, North Dakota, and Minnesota.

The sampling has found avian influenza in mammals as well, despite the U.S. lacking a national surveillance system for mammals. Currently, mammalian samples are opportunistic, coming from wildlife rehabilitation centers or state wildlife and natural resource agencies.

Many of these animals have been neurologically affected, and a good portion of them are juveniles or young of the year, Lenoch. In the US were approaching almost 200 individual detections and mammals we have had a wide breadth of species affected.

These include coyotes, foxes, skunks, and raccoons. Avian influenza has also appeared in marine mammals such as seals and a bottlenose dolphin.

The leading theory is that likely many of these terrestrial mammals are likely eating sick or dead birds in the environment, she said.

Some countries, such as France, have begun vaccinating poultry against HPAI. On Sept. 29, APHIS placed restrictions on importation of poultry from France including ducks, duck eggs and other duck products.

The restrictions are based on the World Organisation for Animal Healthsdefinition of poultryand are the result of Frances decision to vaccinate commercial meat ducks against HPAI, APHIS said. Frances decision to vaccinate presents a risk of introducing HPAI into the United States.

However, Brian Umberson of the microbial security company Ancera, said attitudes about HPAI vaccination may be changing.

Were starting to see the development of a positive view of using vaccinations because of the size of these outbreaks and the shock to the food supply, he said.

On Day 2, Alice Green, veterinary epidemiology officer for USDA, discussed a study that identified factors that increased the risk of infection on turkey farms.

Other factors associated with increased odds of H5N1 HPI infection included having both brooder and grower turkey production on the farm, Green said. Having tom turkeys on the farm and seeing wild waterfowl or shorebirds in the closest field was also associated with increased odds

Proximity to water and wild bird habitat, as well as the presence of high densities of migratory wild waterfowl, have been identified as risk factors in previous outbreaks concentrations of domestic poultry in combination with high densities of wild birds provides a potential interface for viral transmission and spillover events, Green said.

There are human factors as well. The study found that having a restroom even a portable one and having access to a shower were found to be protective factors.

Pedro Jimenez-Bluhm, assistant professor, Pontificia Universidad Catlica de Chile, discussed wild bird sampling efforts in Chile, at the southern end of the Pacific Flyway.

Starting in August 2022, we discovered some low-pathogenic viruses, but then we had this huge peak at the end of the year, he said. Thats where we started seeing H5N1-positive samples.

Through this environmental sampling, in this case, we were actually able to get the positive (confirmation) one week before people were announcing mortalities, Jimenez-Bluhm said, adding that this makes a lot of sense because there needs to be a certain viral load in the environment for animals to actually efficiently transmit this virus. So, this is a very sensitive way to actually detect the pathogen in the environment.

Closing out the second day were presentations on strategies for developing vaccines for this virus strain, genome editing to examine avian influenza resistance in chickens and a presentation from Tellez-Isaias on CRISPR and Quorum Sensing as strategic control measurements for Avian Influenza Virus.

Continued here:

Researchers, educators at summit share efforts to corral highly ... - Stuttgart Daily Leader

Theres a chill is in the air, and you all know what that means its time for cold and flu season, when it seems everyone you know is suddenly sneezing, sniffling or worse. Its almost as if those pesky cold and flu germs whirl in with the first blast of winter weather.Yet germs are present year-round just think back to your last summer cold. So why do people get more colds, flu and now Covid-19 when its chilly outside?Video above: The life cycle of the common cold explainedIn what they called a breakthrough, scientists uncovered the biological reason we get more respiratory illnesses in winter the cold air itself damages the immune response occurring in the nose.This is the first time that we have a biologic, molecular explanation regarding one factor of our innate immune response that appears to be limited by colder temperatures, said rhinologist Dr. Zara Patel, a professor of otolaryngology and head and neck surgery at Stanford University School of Medicine in California. She was not involved in the new study.In fact, reducing the temperature inside the nose by as little as 9 degrees Fahrenheit (5 degrees Celsius) kills nearly 50% of the billions of helpful bacteria-fighting cells and viruses in the nostrils, according to the 2022 study published in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. Cold air is associated with increased viral infection because youve essentially lost half of your immunity just by that small drop in temperature, said study author Dr. Benjamin Bleier, director of otolaryngology translational research at Massachusetts Eye and Ear and an associate professor at Harvard Medical School in Boston.its important to remember that these are in vitro studies, meaning that although it is using human tissue in the lab to study this immune response, it is not a study being carried out inside someones actual nose, Patel said in an email. Often the findings of in vitro studies are confirmed in vivo, but not always.A hornets nestTo understand why this occurs, Bleier and his team and coauthor Mansoor Amiji, who chairs the department of pharmaceutical sciences at Northeastern University in Boston, went on a scientific detective hunt.A respiratory virus or bacteria invades the nose, the main point of entry into the body. Immediately, the front of the nose detects the germ, well before the back of the nose is aware of the intruder, the team discovered. At that point, cells lining the nose immediately begin creating billions of simple copies of themselves called extracellular vesicles, or EVs. EVs cant divide like cells can, but they are like little mini versions of cells specifically designed to go and kill these viruses, Bleier said. EVs act as decoys, so now when you inhale a virus, the virus sticks to these decoys instead of sticking to the cells.Those Mini Mes are then expelled by the cells into nasal mucus (yes, snot), where they stop invading germs before they can get to their destinations and multiply.This is one of, if not the only part of the immune system that leaves your body to go fight the bacteria and viruses before they actually get into your body, Bleier said. Once created and dispersed out into nasal secretions, the billions of EVs then start to swarm the marauding germs, Bleier said.Its like if you kick a hornets nest, what happens? You might see a few hornets flying around, but when you kick it, all of them all fly out of the nest to attack before that animal can get into the nest itself, he said. Thats the way the body mops up these inhaled viruses so they can never get into the cell in the first place. A big increase in immune powerWhen under attack, the nose increases production of extracellular vesicles by 160%, the study found. There were additional differences: EVs had many more receptors on their surface than original cells, thus boosting the virus-stopping ability of the billions of extracellular vesicles in the nose.Just imagine receptors as little arms that are sticking out, trying to grab on to the viral particles as you breathe them in, Bleier said. And we found each vesicle has up to 20 times more receptors on the surface, making them super sticky.Cells in the body also contain a viral killer called micro RNA, which attack invading germs. Yet EVs in the nose contained 13 times micro RNA sequences than normal cells, the study found.So the nose comes to battle armed with some extra superpowers. But what happens to those advantages when cold weather hits? To find out, Bleier and his team exposed four study participants to 15 minutes of 40-degree-Fahrenheit temperatures, and then measured conditions inside their nasal cavities. What we found is that when youre exposed to cold air, the temperature in your nose can drop by as much as 9 degrees Fahrenheit. And thats enough to essentially knock out all three of those immune advantages that the nose has, Bleier said.In fact, that little bit of coldness in the tip of the nose was enough to take nearly 42% of the extracellular vesicles out of the fight, Bleier said.Similarly, you have almost half the amount of those killer micro RNAs inside each vesicle, and you can have up to a 70% drop in the number of receptors on each vesicle, making them much less sticky, he said.What does that do to your ability to fight off colds, flu and Covid-19? It cuts your immune systems ability to fight off respiratory infections by half, Bleier said. You dont have to wear a nose sockAs it turns out, the pandemic gave us exactly what we need to help fight off chilly air and keep our immunity high, Bleier said.Not only do masks protect you from the direct inhalation of viruses, but its also like wearing a sweater on your nose, he said.Patel agreed: The warmer you can keep the intranasal environment, the better this innate immune defense mechanism will be able to work. Maybe yet another reason to wear masks!Video below: Doctor on easing concerns about seasonal vaccinesIn the future, Bleier expects to see the development of topical nasal medications that build upon this scientific revelation. These new pharmaceuticals will essentially fool the nose into thinking it has just seen a virus, he said.By having that exposure, youll have all these extra hornets flying around in your mucous protecting you, he added.

Theres a chill is in the air, and you all know what that means its time for cold and flu season, when it seems everyone you know is suddenly sneezing, sniffling or worse. Its almost as if those pesky cold and flu germs whirl in with the first blast of winter weather.

Yet germs are present year-round just think back to your last summer cold. So why do people get more colds, flu and now Covid-19 when its chilly outside?

Video above: The life cycle of the common cold explained

In what they called a breakthrough, scientists uncovered the biological reason we get more respiratory illnesses in winter the cold air itself damages the immune response occurring in the nose.

This is the first time that we have a biologic, molecular explanation regarding one factor of our innate immune response that appears to be limited by colder temperatures, said rhinologist Dr. Zara Patel, a professor of otolaryngology and head and neck surgery at Stanford University School of Medicine in California. She was not involved in the new study.

In fact, reducing the temperature inside the nose by as little as 9 degrees Fahrenheit (5 degrees Celsius) kills nearly 50% of the billions of helpful bacteria-fighting cells and viruses in the nostrils, according to the 2022 study published in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

Cold air is associated with increased viral infection because youve essentially lost half of your immunity just by that small drop in temperature, said study author Dr. Benjamin Bleier, director of otolaryngology translational research at Massachusetts Eye and Ear and an associate professor at Harvard Medical School in Boston.

its important to remember that these are in vitro studies, meaning that although it is using human tissue in the lab to study this immune response, it is not a study being carried out inside someones actual nose, Patel said in an email. Often the findings of in vitro studies are confirmed in vivo, but not always.

To understand why this occurs, Bleier and his team and coauthor Mansoor Amiji, who chairs the department of pharmaceutical sciences at Northeastern University in Boston, went on a scientific detective hunt.

A respiratory virus or bacteria invades the nose, the main point of entry into the body. Immediately, the front of the nose detects the germ, well before the back of the nose is aware of the intruder, the team discovered.

At that point, cells lining the nose immediately begin creating billions of simple copies of themselves called extracellular vesicles, or EVs.

EVs cant divide like cells can, but they are like little mini versions of cells specifically designed to go and kill these viruses, Bleier said. EVs act as decoys, so now when you inhale a virus, the virus sticks to these decoys instead of sticking to the cells.

Those Mini Mes are then expelled by the cells into nasal mucus (yes, snot), where they stop invading germs before they can get to their destinations and multiply.

This is one of, if not the only part of the immune system that leaves your body to go fight the bacteria and viruses before they actually get into your body, Bleier said.

Once created and dispersed out into nasal secretions, the billions of EVs then start to swarm the marauding germs, Bleier said.

Its like if you kick a hornets nest, what happens? You might see a few hornets flying around, but when you kick it, all of them all fly out of the nest to attack before that animal can get into the nest itself, he said. Thats the way the body mops up these inhaled viruses so they can never get into the cell in the first place.

When under attack, the nose increases production of extracellular vesicles by 160%, the study found. There were additional differences: EVs had many more receptors on their surface than original cells, thus boosting the virus-stopping ability of the billions of extracellular vesicles in the nose.

Just imagine receptors as little arms that are sticking out, trying to grab on to the viral particles as you breathe them in, Bleier said. And we found each vesicle has up to 20 times more receptors on the surface, making them super sticky.

Cells in the body also contain a viral killer called micro RNA, which attack invading germs. Yet EVs in the nose contained 13 times micro RNA sequences than normal cells, the study found.

So the nose comes to battle armed with some extra superpowers. But what happens to those advantages when cold weather hits?

To find out, Bleier and his team exposed four study participants to 15 minutes of 40-degree-Fahrenheit temperatures, and then measured conditions inside their nasal cavities.

What we found is that when youre exposed to cold air, the temperature in your nose can drop by as much as 9 degrees Fahrenheit. And thats enough to essentially knock out all three of those immune advantages that the nose has, Bleier said.

In fact, that little bit of coldness in the tip of the nose was enough to take nearly 42% of the extracellular vesicles out of the fight, Bleier said.

Similarly, you have almost half the amount of those killer micro RNAs inside each vesicle, and you can have up to a 70% drop in the number of receptors on each vesicle, making them much less sticky, he said.

What does that do to your ability to fight off colds, flu and Covid-19? It cuts your immune systems ability to fight off respiratory infections by half, Bleier said.

As it turns out, the pandemic gave us exactly what we need to help fight off chilly air and keep our immunity high, Bleier said.

Not only do masks protect you from the direct inhalation of viruses, but its also like wearing a sweater on your nose, he said.

Patel agreed: The warmer you can keep the intranasal environment, the better this innate immune defense mechanism will be able to work. Maybe yet another reason to wear masks!

Video below: Doctor on easing concerns about seasonal vaccines

In the future, Bleier expects to see the development of topical nasal medications that build upon this scientific revelation. These new pharmaceuticals will essentially fool the nose into thinking it has just seen a virus, he said.

By having that exposure, youll have all these extra hornets flying around in your mucous protecting you, he added.

Read the rest here:

Scientists know why people get more colds and flu in winter - KCRA Sacramento

Fermented garlic honey is a health remedy that happens to be delicious. Learn how to use it and store it just in time for cold and flu season.

Fermented garlic honey seems like the latest health craze on TikTok. This popular home remedy is believed to soothe respiratory illnesses like the flu or the common cold.

Fermented garlic honey is made from a combination of garlic cloves and raw honey. As the two ingredients marinate for about five days, they become fermented in the jar.

In addition to some possible health benefits, this type of garlic honey is a tasty treat. Try drizzling it over dinners like pizza and fried chicken or over sides like roasted Brussels sprouts and crusty bread.

Honey and garlic both have known health benefits of their own. It can be challenging to determine how these benefits change when the two ingredients are combined.

Honey is rich in antioxidants, compounds that are known to fight inflammation and lower the risk of chronic disease. Research has found that honey has antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal properties. This means that it can protect the body against infections caused by bacteria, viruses and fungi. Studies have found that honey may help to stop the flu virus from growing and spreading. It can also soothe a cough.

Fermented garlic honey requires raw honey, rather than pasteurized honey. That is because pasteurized honey will not cause the mixture to ferment. Raw honey contains more nutrients than pasteurized honey and has been found to lower blood pressure readings and cholesterol levels.

Garlic contains allicin, a compound that has antibacterial properties, protects from infection and can protect the brain from disease and improve memory and focus. Garlic may also lower the risk of heart disease by lowering blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

More research is needed to determine if fermented garlic honey has proven health benefits. A 2013 study found that the combination of garlic and honey may stop the growth of certain types of bacteria including Streptococcus pneumonia, Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella.

Wirestock/Getty Images

Fermented garlic honey must be stored properly in order to be safe to eat. Stored garlic can cause botulism, a serious type of foodborne illness. Fortunately, raw honey is acidic enough to kill the bacteria that cause botulism. Infants younger than 12 months should never consume honey because of the risk of botulism. Keep your sealed jar of fermented garlic honey in a cool, dry place.

As with any natural remedy, fermented garlic honey is not for everyone. Eating a large amount of garlic may interfere with your bloods ability to clot. People taking blood thinning medications like aspirin should use caution with garlic. Honey is high in sugar and may raise blood glucose levels in people with diabetes.

When stored properly and consumed in moderation, fermented garlic honey is safe to eat. It has a savory, slightly sweet flavor. Its a great dip for bread or crackers. It can be drizzled over pizza, grilled pork, fried chicken and burgers. To satisfy your sweet tooth, try a bit of garlic honey with homemade vanilla ice cream.

Most types of honey can be safely stored and remain fresh for 12 months. To determine if your fermented garlic honey is still good, make sure it does not appear cloudy or crystallized. Smell it to make sure you dont notice a foul odor.

When making fermented garlic honey, its best to shake it every day to ensure that all of the garlic bulbs are covered with honey. Be sure to open the jar once a day to release any built-up gas during the fermentation process.

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Is Fermented Garlic Honey? - Taste of Home

Hamilton

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Cara Nickerson - CBC News

Posted: October 20, 2023 Last Updated: 10 Hours Ago

While COVID transmission numbers in Hamilton's hospitals are stable, Dr. Elizabeth Richardson, the city's medical officer of health, says wastewater data shows the virus is on the rise once again in the city.

Richardson said as the communititygets deeper into flu season, proper hand washing, masking, vaccinations and staying home when sick are important.

"COVID vaccines continue to be very, very important in reducing transmission," she said at a press conference on Thursday.

The latest version of COVID-19 vaccine, targeting the XBB variant of the virus, is available to high-risk patients.That group includes people older than 65, people in congregate living settings such as long-term care, those who are pregnant, and individuals with underlying medical conditions that make infection more dangerous.

Richardson saidcases ofRespiratory syncytialvirus (RSV), which heavilyimpacts children, have been spiking across the province and in wastewater samples.

Dr. Brian McKenna, with Hamilton Family Health Team, said he has been seeing an increase in cold and flu cases.

"If we are in store for what we saw last November to February, we are in for a significant strain well beyond where we're at right now," he said.

He said people should contact their primary family doctor if they believe they are at risk, but noted that around 60,000 people in Hamilton do not have a family doctor.

At Thursday's pressconference, leaders from Hamilton's four major hospitals said capacity is already an issue, even without a large number of respiratory patients.

Hamilton General Hospital is at 107 per cent capacity, McMaster Children's Hospital is at 112 per cent capacity, JuravinskiHospital and Cancer Centre is at 118 per cent and West Lincoln Memorial Hospital is at 114 per cent capacity.

Sharon Piersonwith Hamilton Health Sciences said over the last two weeks, hospitals in the HHS network, including Hamilton General Hospital and JuravinskiCancer Centre, have "had to cancel elective and scheduled care."

This includes cardiac andoncology procedures and appointments.

Juravinski's emergency departmentwas built to care for 80 patients and currently has 100 patients admitted, she said.

"We try always to make sure that time-sensitive care can proceed," she said.

McMaster Children's Hospital built 12 additional beds in three of its departments last year, which the hospital's president, Dr. Bruce Squires, said has put the hospital in a better position to "absorb a highly active flu season."

But the capacity issue will take more than a dozen beds to fix capacity issues.

"In many ways, the system has been undersized for the populations we serve," said Squires.

St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton (SJHH) is also atfull capacity, said Dr. Cheryl Williams, vice president of clinical operations.

She said patients are being admitted with complex psychiatric cases, often related to substance abuse and mental illness.

When patients are in hospital for symptoms that could be treated in other settings, they are referred to as alternate level of care patients.

Pierson said HHS has around 270 patients with alternate level of care needs and 120 of those patients are living in hotel rooms, waiting for care.

"There are a significant number [of patients] waiting to go to long-term care homes, a number waiting to go to supportive housing within the community," she said, adding others are waiting for rehab or palliative care.

Cara Nickerson is a journalist with the CBC's Ontario local news stations, primarily CBC Hamilton. She previously worked with Hamilton Community News. Cara has a special interest in stories that focus on social issues and community.

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4 Hamilton-area hospitals already over capacity as COVID and flu season begins - CBC.ca

Mary Lou Retton excelled against her competitors to win an Olympic gold medal in 1984 but now the 55-year-old American gymnastics icon faces a more challenging opponent.

On a fundraising page earlier this month, Rettons daughter, McKenna Kelley, wrote that her mother "has a very rare form of pneumonia and is fighting for her life," adding that she had been in the ICU and was not able to breathe on her own.

Earlier this week, in the first update in four days, Shayla Kelley Schrepfer, another daughter of Retton's, related that things seemed like they were headed "on the up and up" but then they took a turn for the worse on Tuesday.

MARY LOU RETTON'S DAUGHTER SAYS OLYMPIC-WINNING MOTHER FACED RECENT 'SCARY SETBACK' IN PNEUMONIA FIGHT

"We were so excited seeing so much progress," Schrepfer said in an Instagram post.

"And then yesterday, we had a pretty scary setback."

Mary Lou Retton, Olympic gold medalist in women's gymnastics, is currently in the ICU with life-threatening pneumonia. (Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

The details of the setback were not disclosed.

But Schrepfer said that Retton had a "better day" on Wednesday and that she was "just really, really exhausted," as she remains in the ICU.

Though the exact cause of Rettons pneumonia is not known, the condition can be life-threatening and many Americans battle it each year.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)s website indicates that 1.4 million emergency department visits were due to pneumonia in 2021.

AFTER LOSING HER LEG TO THE FLU, VIRGINIA WOMAN URGES PEOPLE TO GET VACCINATED: DONT WASTE TIME

"It leads to more than one million hospitalizations and more than 50,000 deaths per year," said Dr. Fred Davis, associate chair of emergency medicine at Northwell Health Long Island Jewish Medical Center on Long Island, New York.

"Pneumonia is an infection of the lungs that can be caused by viruses, bacteria and fungi, which leads to inflammation and a buildup of fluid, causing issues with oxygenation," Davis told Fox News Digital.

Some common warning signs of the illness include cough, fever and shortness of breath. (iStock)

Common causes of viral pneumonia in the U.S. include influenza (flu), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19), according to the CDC.

Bacterial pneumonia is commonly caused by streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus) and, typically in kids, mycoplasma pneumoniae.

HAVE A COLD OR FLU? HERE'S HOW TO KNOW IF YOU CAN STILL WORK OUT: USE THE NECK CHECK

Some common warning signs of the illness include cough, fever and shortness of breath.

"When shortness of breath occurs or you notice discoloration around [the] fingers, toes or lips, it is important to seek emergent care," Davis warned.

Treatment for pneumonia depends on the cause, the doctor noted.

In cases of viral infections, he recommends supportive care like rest and fluids.

For bacterial cases, antibiotics are the most common course of treatment.

Fungal infections can be treated with antifungal medications.

Common causes of viral pneumonia in the U.S. include influenza (flu), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19), according to the CDC. (iStock)

In severe cases, the patient may be admitted for monitoring and given supplemental oxygen, Davis told Fox News Digital.

Dr. Aaron Glatt, chair and professor of medicine at Mount Sinai South Nassau in Oceanside, New York, said that for most bacterial pneumonia, antibacterial therapy with antibiotics can be effective "but it's not always perfect and it doesn't always work."

Glatt added, "It often depends on how severe the underlying condition is with that person."

COVID-19, FLU AND RSV VACCINES ARE ALL AVAILABLE THIS FALL: SEE WHAT SOME DOCTORS RECOMMEND AND WHY

When it comes to viral pneumonia, the infectious disease expert said treatment can be more challenging.

"You don't have as many good agents," he said. "It will depend on which virus you're dealing with."

Regarding fungal pneumonia, Glatt said treatment will depend on what type of fungus is causing the pneumonia.

In severe cases, the patient may be admitted for monitoring and given supplemental oxygen, a doctor told Fox News Digital. (iStock)

"Often these patients are extremely sick and have a worse prognosis," he said.

In different parts of the country, there are different types of fungi that can contribute to pneumonia.

For example, histoplasmosis is common in the middle of the U.S., Glatt said.

SKELETONS FROM 1918 FLU PANDEMIC REVEAL CLUES ABOUT THOSE MOST LIKELY TO DIE, STUDY FINDS

Although anyone can get the infection, "those who are young, are older than 65 or have weakened immune systems are at greater risk of a bad outcome should they get pneumonia," Davis told Fox News Digital.

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The best way to avoid pneumonia is to reduce the risk of infection by following proper hand hygiene, covering your mouth when sneezing and washing your hands immediately afterward, he said.

American Olympic gymnast Mary Lou Retton holds up her gold medal at a press conference during the 1984 Summer Games in Los Angeles. While Retton excelled against her competitors to win Olympic gold in 1984 today the 55-year-old gymnastics icon faces a more challenging opponent. (Getty Images)

He also recommended getting the flu shot, as influenza is a common cause of infection and the vaccine can reduce the risk "especially in those younger than 2 years old and greater than 65 years old, who are more at risk should they get infected," Davis noted.

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The CDC also recommended monitoring and treating any underlying medical conditions such as asthma, diabetes and heart disease, as well as speaking with a health care provider about vaccinations to help prevent pneumonia.

Sarah Rumpf-Whitten contributed reporting.

For more Health articles, visit http://www.foxnews/health.

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Mary Lou Retton's pneumonia: When does the infection become life-threatening? Experts share warning signs - Fox News

Since arriving in South America, bird flu has travelled more than 6000km in three months and killed 500,000 seabirds and more than 20,000 sea lions in Peru and Chile alone.

The Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research, in documenting that, has traced the spread of the virus highly pathogenic avian influenza along the Pacific coast of South America to its southernmost tip off Tierra del Fuego.

A paper published by SCAR Antarctic Wildlife Health Network warns the Antarctic Peninsula, the Scotia Arc (which includes South Georgia, the South Orkneys and Elephant Island), and the Falkland Islands are at high risk of the virus arriving this summer season.

SCAR, the Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs, the Committee for Environment Protection, and the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators are all concerned about this heightened risk of HPAI outbreaks in Antarctica in the 2023-24 season and the impact it could have on the regions wildlife though so far there have been no identified cases.

Dr Meagan Dewar, chair of AWHN, says: The arrival of HPAI in the region would have a devasting impact on many wildlife species in the region and could lead to catastrophic breeding failure and mortality events.

Penguin colonies are clearly of concern.

But recent risk assessment also warns skuas, gulls, fur seals and sea lions are at greatest risk of HPAI infection followed by penguins, sheathbills, giant petrels and birds of prey on the sub-Antarctic islands.

Expedition cruise companies sailing to Antarctica have brought in stricter precautions in a bid to stop passengers bringing in avian flu but there are concerns migrating birds from South America could bring in the disease.

Skuas, gulls, giant petrels and sheathbills are considered the most likely to fly the virus in.

The Antarctic cruise season runs from November-March. More than 60 ships are expected to cross the Drake Passage, backwards and forwards, visiting the Antarctic Peninsula during this next season.

The number of cruises to Antarctica has been fuelled by demand from eager travellers. And it has led to a fleet of modern expedition ships that are more comfortable in extreme conditions.

A spokesperson for IAATO says: Polar stakeholders, from Antarctic Treaty parties to scientists, researchers and IAATO tour operators, already have robust procedures in place to protect Antarctica from pathogens and non-native species, but due to the increase of avian influenza elsewhere in the world, we are all heightening our vigilance with regards to operations south.

In consultation with the SCAR Antarctic Wildlife Health Working Group, additional protocols have been introduced, which are mandatory for all IAATO operators.

A spokesperson for COMNAP says: Currently, we have no identified cases of HPAI in the Antarctic region. However, birds and mammals are presenting with HPAI in South America, South Africa and in the Arctic, so the risk is heightened that HPAI will make its way to Antarctica by way of natural migration of species during the 2023-24, or the 2024-25 Antarctic seasons.

We cant stop the natural migration of birds and so we cannot stop the virus from spreading to Antarctica. But, we can look for signs of HPAI in Antarctic species and report those signs, take extra precautions to prevent the intra-continental spread of the virus by human activity, and protect our human expeditioners from contracting the disease from infected birds and mammals.

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Antarctica and the threat of bird flu - The West Australian

Flu season is just around the corner, and now is the time to get protected. If you are a parent ofeligible pre-schoolers, make sure that you book your child in with their GP practice for the nasal spray that protects against flu.

The flu vaccine is also offered to most children including all aged 2 and 3 years old and school aged children from reception to year 11, as well as those with underlying health conditions. The childrens flu vaccine is usually given as a quick and painless spray up the nose. Children should get the flu vaccine as soon as they can for their protection and to help stop the virus spreading to others.

Flu can be an unpleasant illness in children, causing fever, extreme tiredness, aching muscles and joints, stuffy nose, dry cough, and sore throat. Most children recover within a week and are well enough to go back to nursery or school, but for some it can be life-threatening.

Children aged 6 months to 2 years with a long-term health condition that increases flu risk are eligible, including those ever admitted overnight for a lung infection, and those with conditions like diabetes. These children will be offered a flu vaccine injection instead of the nasal spray. This is because the nasal spray is not licensed for children aged under 2 years.

Primary and secondary school students can also get the nasal spray vaccine at school make sure you sign the consent form. A vaccination session will be held at schools during the autumn term and the immunisation team will contact you via the school. For 2- and 3-year-olds, you should receive an invitation for your child to have it at their GP surgery. Parents can also contact them directly to book an appointment.

Kate Keeling, Head of Immunisation at NHS Norfolk and Waveney said:

We are urging parents and carers to ensure their child is vaccinated ahead of winter. We know that vaccinations are the best form of protection at winter. The child flu vaccine reduces your childs chance of needing hospital care for flu by around two-thirds.

The child flu vaccine is usually given as a quick and painless spray up the nose and helps protect them from flu and prevent it spreading among vulnerable family and friends.

If your child is aged 2 or 3 years old or are aged 6 months to 2 years with certain health conditions, you can book a flu vaccination at their GP practice. This is a reminder to please book your childs flu vaccine as soon as the vaccine becomes available.

Here are five reasons your under-5s should have the flu vaccine:

Children under 5 have the highest hospitalisation rate due to flu 6,000 in England last winter. Vaccination cuts the hospitalisation risk by around two-thirds. It helps protect against complications like pneumonia and painful ear infections.

2. Protect family and friends

Pre-schoolers are excellent at spreading germs! Vaccinating your child helps reduce the chance of others in your family who are higher risk, like grandparents or those with long-term conditions, getting flu.

The nasal spray is painless and easy to have. It contains weakened flu viruses to help your child build immunity and fight off flu. The vaccine is absorbed into the nose quickly, so even if your child sneezes right after, it still works. For children who cant have the nasal spray for medical reasons,an injection is available

4. Its better than having flu

The nasal spray helps protect against flu, has been given to millions of children in the UK and worldwide, andhas an excellent safety record. In the last few years, the protection that children get from vaccination has been consistently higher than for adults. The vaccine is updated yearly to match flu strains, so we recommend vaccinating yearly, even if vaccinated last year.

5. Avoid costs and time off work

Juggling a sick child and work is tough. Vaccinating isnt just about your childs health, its smart for parents. If your child gets flu, you may have to take time off or find childcare. The nasal spray vaccine means fewer missed workdays and is free on the NHS.

Get your family winter strong by booking in eligible under-5s with your GP practice or making sure you sign a consent form if one is sent home from school.

COVID-19 vaccinations are also taking place and there are some local sites who are offering slots this weekend:

Local vaccinations taking place:

Wellness Hub, Castle Quarter, Norwich: Saturday 21 October and selected dates from 23 October

James Paget Hospital, Great Yarmouth: This weekendSaturday 21 and Sunday 22 October

Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Kings Lynn: 23 October all week

These sites are all available to book via National Booking System or calling 119.

You can find out the latest information about both vaccines and how to book by visiting http://www.nhs.uk/seasonalvaccinations. Protect yourself this winter. Get your flu and COVID-19 vaccinations. Get winter strong.

Read more:

Get your child #winterstrong with their annual flu vaccination ... - Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care System

A pair of cormorants thought to have died from H5N1 bird flu, found washed up on a beach in Chile earlier this year.Credit: Martin Bernetti/AFP via Getty

Researchers studying the evolution of the bird flu virus over the past 18 years have shown how the strain currently circulating worldwide, an extremely deadly form of the H5N1 subtype, has become increasingly infectious to wild birds. The strain emerged in Europe in 2020, and has spread to an unprecedented number of countries.

The study, published in Nature on 18 October1, looked at changes to the viruss genome over time and used data on reported outbreaks to track how it spread.

Why is bird flu so bad right now?

In 2020, the rate of spread among wild birds was three times faster than that in farmed poultry, because of mutations that allowed the virus to adapt to diverse species.

What was once very clearly a poultry pathogen has now become an animal-health issue much more broadly, says Andy Ramey, a wildlife geneticist at the US Geological Survey Alaska Science Center in Anchorage. That has implications for wildlife and domestic poultry as well as us humans that rely upon these resources.

H5N1, classified as a highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus because of its high death toll in poultry, was first detected in birds in China in 1996. Outbreaks are usually seasonal, synchronizing with bird migration in Northern Hemisphere autumn. But since November 2021, they have become persistent. In 2022, the virus killed millions of birds across five continents and seeded outbreaks among farmed mink and various marine mammals.

Source: Ref. 1

To study changes in the viruss behaviour, the authors examined data reported to the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations and the World Organisation for Animal Health between 2005 and 2022, and analysed more than 10,000 viral genomes.

Their work reveals that in mid-2020, a new H5N1 strain evolved from an earlier variety, called H5N8, which first emerged in poultry in Egypt between 2016 and 2017 and caused global flare-ups throughout 2020 and 2021 (see Bird flu outbreaks). The new H5N1 virus mutated through interactions with non-deadly varieties of bird flu, called low-pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) viruses, that had been circulating among wild birds in Europe since 2019.

It developed two subtypes in 2021 and 2022. One spread across the northern coastal regions of central Europe and was eventually carried to North America by birds migrating across the Atlantic Ocean. The other was carried around the Mediterranean Sea and into Africa.

How to stop the bird flu outbreak becoming a pandemic

Many bird flu outbreaks begin in poultry, but spillover into wild birds has spread the disease into larger areas, creating a global challenge that is difficult to manage, the study found.

Once its adapted to wild birds, we have no mechanism to control the virus. And I think thats the biggest impact that has changed now, says co-author Vijaykrishna Dhanasekaran, an evolutionary biologist and virologist at the University of Hong Kong.

Louise Moncla, an evolutionary virologist at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, agrees. Regardless of how much outbreak response you do in poultry, if its coming in from wild birds repeatedly, this is going to be really hard to manage.

This is really something that most of the world at this point has skin in the game, adds Ramey.

LPAI viruses often circulate freely in poultry and wild birds. Previous infection with these non-deadly strains is thought to encourage population immunity in wild birds. You can think of it as an imperfect vaccine, that doesnt stop infection, but it helps mitigate the effects of disease, says Ramey.

But theres probably two sides of the coin here, he adds. HPAI viruses can mutate through interactions with LPAI ones. In both, the genome is split into eight segments that can be mixed and matched. When two viruses co-infect the same cell, they could swap their genes when the virus is getting packaged, says Dhanasekaran.

Because of this, LPAI viruses especially a strain called H9N2 play a major part in the evolution of H5N1, he adds. But they are not well monitored. Eradication or elimination strategies that target these low pathogenic viruses would be a huge step forward in terms of controlling avian influenza itself, says Dhanasekaran.

Read more:

How the current bird flu strain evolved to be so deadly - Nature.com

UAB physicians urge people to get flu shots early in the season.

UAB physicians urge people to get flu shots early in the season.The change of season in October and November brings in crisp, fall weather for the majority of the United States. Many begin to look toward the holiday season to come, but few think about the impending cold weather and subsequent sickness that pops up when winter arrives.

Physicians at the University of Alabama at Birmingham have their sights firmly set on influenza season, however, and want to encourage everyone to get a flu shot between now and early November. That is when the cold sets in for many in the United States, and flu germs historically begin to thrive.

The flu vaccine is the best protection for the flu and how to protect others from the flu as well, says Stephen Russell, M.D., professor in UABs Division of General Internal Medicine and physician at UAB Medicine Leeds. The vaccine prepares the immune system to see, recognize and fight off the flu virus.

Flu season starts in early October, and the reason is that, by the time we see more cases of flu and in the hospital which is usually at the beginning of November we want people to be protected, Russell shared. It takes about two weeks from the time you get your flu shot for your body to develop antibodies that fight the flu, which is why we recommend that everybody gets the flu shot in October or early November. That way, by the time we see more flu in the community, peoples bodies are ready to fight off the virus.

Russell has had patients ask if getting the flu shot actually means his patients are receiving the flu virus, but he says that is not the case. Some people believe that, if they get sick immediately after receiving the vaccine, they have the flu, he says.

We know from very good medical studies and science that the flu vaccine does not give you the flu, he said. If you experience body aches and have a low-grade fever 24 hours after you get a flu vaccine, we consider that a success because your immune system is revved up and ready to fight off the flu. We can almost guarantee that 48 hours after that you will feel normal, which means your immune system is ready to fight off the flu this season.

Russell notes that, if you actually have the flu, you can expect to experience seven days of aches, along with several days of feeling bad overall, including experiencing cough and fever. With the flu shot, your mild symptoms will last less than 48 hours.

If people are unable to or forget to get the flu shot early in the season, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says you can still get the shot for ample protection through January. However, when there are higher numbers of reported cases of the flu, your immune system is more susceptible to acquiring the flu if you are unprotected.

Members of the community can find out where they can get a flu shot in their area by visiting the CDCs vaccine finder.

See more here:

Get your flu shot in October, early November to stay flu-free this ... - University of Alabama at Birmingham