Cockpit

In early December 2007, the country prided itself on providing the world with a road map to check the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus H5NI.…

Between 1918-19 Spanish flu and COVID-19, not much has changed

The British government permitted provisional governments to exercise powers under the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897, the same one the present …

Chicken worries

A new strain of influenza virus transmitted to humans from chicken is causing panic in Southeast Asia

Virus alert

A strain of the virus that causes bird influenza has been implicated in the death of a three-year-old boy in Hong Kong. The case, though …

Influenza pandemic is unpredictable and inevitable: WHO

Given increased economic globalisation, urbanisation and mobility, the next pandemic will spread further and faster, says new report

Swine Flu virus changing seasonality, geography

Not just geography and seasonality, even the age group seems to be shifting with more and more children getting affected by the virus

As it gets colder and drier, India may see more H1N1 cases

When dipping temperatures and low rainfall are bad omens for the spread of the influenza, the country received 50 per cent less rainfall this …

Bihar man dies of swine flu in Patna hospital

Bihar has been grappling with COVID-19 and viral fever; On September 10, a 58-year-old man died of swine flu in Patna

How 1918 ‘Bombay Influenza’ carries lessons India must learn to tackle novel coronavirus

The Bombay influenza was responsible for the deaths of around 10 to 20 million people in India  

India in midst of a nasty H3N2 outbreak — worst of seasonal flu viruses

Three deaths reported so far this season; the virus wreaked havoc in United States in 2018 as well

Fowl play

January 3, and all is not well in Hong Kong. With four people dead, and 11 confirmed and six suspected cases of A (H5N1) infection, the new …

Influenza: The search for a universal vaccine

Flu virus mutates so quickly that one year's vaccine won't work on the next year's common strains. But a new way to create vaccines, called '…

Over 50 people die due to swine flu in just one month

As many as 1,036 people have tested positive between January 1 and 17, 2019 in Rajasthan, while 40 have died, according to sources in the state&…

Italy suspends Novartis vaccine after four patients die

Tests are on to find if there is a causal link; Swiss pharmaceutical boasts of the drug’s safety record

Doing very nicely without IPRs

We need to re-imagine the role of the state in creating knowledge without intellectual property rights

New diseases are the result of environmental degradation

After being instrumental in the eradication of smallpox, D A Henderson , director, Centre for Civilian Biodefence, Johns Hopkins University, USA,…

The number of new flu viruses is increasing, and could lead to a pandemic

How is it the flu has managed to stay around for so long, and why haven't we beaten it yet?

India is facing a nasty outbreak of H3N2 — worst of seasonal flu viruses

H3N2 is a strain responsible for one of the three respiratory pandemics in the past century

Bird flu monitoring panel says containment measures in place

Zoos are being screened regularly for any dead bird and preventive medication is given to their staff

H5N8 detected in crows, bird flu alert in Bihar

Dozens of crows died in state’s West Champaran district in January 2021; the flu has been reported from at least 13 Indian states so far

Understanding zoonotic diseases: Here’s a video primer

While the origins of COVID-19 are still unknown, epidemics like SARS and MERS happened after transfer of pathogens from animals to …

Ebola, pandemic influenza and SDG feature prominently at 71st World Health Assembly

The five-day assembly also agreed upon other resolutions concerning topics like digital health and assistive technology

Humidity levels decide the transmission of bird flu: study

While absolute humidity drives influenza across latitudes, temperature modulates the effect

China records first human death from H3N8 bird flu

China alerted WHO 24 days after the woman was hospitalised & 11 days after her death, against the mandated 24 hours

Swine Flu deaths cross 1,000; will this year be a repeat of 2015?

More than 22,000 cases of swine flu have been reported in 2017, a bulk of them from Maharashtra and Gujarat