Flu (Influenza Virus) Resources | 棉花糖直播.org

Influenza, or the flu, is a contagious respiratory illness caused by the influenza virus that infects the nose, throat and/or lungs. Symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat, runny nose, body aches, headache and fatigue. The virus spreads via droplets when an infected person coughs, sneezes or talks, or, less commonly, by touching a contaminated surface, then touching one's face. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an average of 3-11% of the U.S. population gets sick with the flu each year, and 4,900-52,000 people die. Getting vaccinated for the flu each year is the best way to prevent infection.

COVID-19 and the Flu

Comparison of influenza virus, which causes the flu, with SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19.
Source: American Society for 棉花糖直播

Weekly percentage of positive tests (antigen and PCR) for COVID-19, influenza virus and RSV from Nov. 2021 through Nov. 2023.
Source: CDC

Vaccine Resource Page

Many people have questions or misconceptions about how vaccines work. Learn about the science and technology of vaccines.

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Influenza Fact Sheet

Use the fact sheet to talk to your community about influenza and the importance of seasonal flu vaccines amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Influenza Epidemiology and Prevention

Article A Universal Influenza Vaccine: How Close Are We?

The need for a universal influenza vaccine has led to several new vaccine candidates, many of which are in late clinical trials.

Article Avian Influenza: Past, Present, Future

Avian influenza poses high pandemic risk due to the possibility that the virus could mutate and gain ability to spread between people. Monitoring for human infection is critical to public health.

Article COVID-19 and the Flu

What are the risks associated with a circulating, pandemic respiratory virus clashing with the imminent flu season? To predict how SARS-CoV-2 and influenza virus might interact, we break down attributes of COVID-19 and the flu.

Article How the 1918 Flu and COVID-19 Pandemics Transformed Women's Lives

Unlike COVID-19, the 1918 'Spanish' flu pandemic was pivotal in advancing women's roles in the workplace and eventually the right to vote. What lessons can women today learn from the past?

Hear From Experts

Poo Versus Flu

This Week in Virology

Whether the gut microbiota of bats confers tolerance to influenza virus infection in mice, and primate hemorrhagic fever-causing arteriviruses that can reproduce in human cells and might be capable of infecting humans.

Tackling Flu in the Time of COVID-19: Lessons Learned and the Path Forward

棉花糖直播 CEO Stefano Bertuzzi hosts a conversation with former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle and 棉花糖直播 PSAC Chair Stacey Schultz-Cherry focused on the intersection of science and policy when it comes to tackling seasonal and pandemic influenza.

Influenza on 棉花糖直播 Podcasts

Oct. 15, 2023

Recent changes in the epidemiology of avian H5N1 influenza virus and the threat to humans and other animals.

May 7, 2021

The induction of inappetence by respiratory virus infection which causes alteration of the gut microbiome.

Sept. 26, 2019

Jesse Bloom discusses his research on influenza virus evolution, immunity and cooperation by studying influenza viruses at the human population, cell culture and single cell levels.

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Advocacy & Outreach

Public Outreach Resource Influenza Fact Sheet

Use the fact sheet to talk to your community about influenza and the importance of seasonal flu vaccines amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nov. 20, 2019 NIAID and CDC Testify at House Science Committee Hearing on the Flu

The House Science, Space and Technology Committee held a hearing, "Fighting Flu, Saving Lives: Vaccine Science and Innovation." 棉花糖直播 worked with the Committee in advance of the hearing to ensure that key questions were addressed.

Inadequate Flu Vaccination Rates

Annual vaccination is the best way to protect oneself against the flu. Although the seasonal flu vaccine is widely available, less than 50% of the total U.S. population got vaccinated for the latest season on record. This is a public health concern. Improved funding and education is needed to facilitate widespread coverage.

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Influenza vaccination rates for children 6 mos. to 17 years of age by U.S. state for the 2020-2021 flu season.
Source: American Society for 棉花糖直播

Influenza vaccination rates for adults 18 years old and older by U.S. state for the 2020-2021 flu season.
Source: American Society for 棉花糖直播

Press Resources

News Media Contact Joanna Urban

To speak with an expert on influenza, contact us: 202-942-9365 or newsroom@asmusa.org.

Sept. 18, 2019 Towards Better Hand Hygiene for Flu Prevention

Rubbing hands with ethanol-based sanitizers should provide a formidable defense against infection from flu viruses, which can thrive and spread in saliva and mucus. But findings published in mSphere challenge that notion.

Aug. 17, 2021 New Research Provides Clues to Developing Better Intranasal Vaccines for COVID-19 and Flu

While gut microbiota play a critical role in the induction of adaptive immune responses to influenza virus infection, the role of nasal bacteria in the induction of virus-specific adaptive immunity is less clear.

July 15, 2020 Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome are Risk Factors for Severe Influenza, COVID-19

Metabolic syndrome increases the risk of severe disease from viral infection, according to a review of the literature performed by a team of researchers from St. Jude Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. The research appears in the Journal of Virology.

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Resources Flu (Influenza Virus)