Every year we go through the same motions: Scientists figure out what the most common flu strains will be, and prepare a vaccine that will best protect against it. Those who get vaccinated avoid the new strains, those who donât might get sick. But every so often, a new kind of flu pops up that doctors are unpreparedâŚ
Remember the H1N1 flu that spread across the planet in 2009? It was the same flu strain that was predominant during this winter's flu season. Now it's turned up in sea otters living off the coast of Washington state, and researchers don't know how it got there.
The CDC has just released its latest update on influenza activity in the United States, and the picture it paints is not pretty. First things first: GET VACCINATED. You're over six months old? Get vaccinated. Someone you interact with on a regular basis is at high risk of flu complications (i.e. young, old, pregnant,âŚ
In 2009, swine flu created a minor pandemic, only killing about 15,000 people but infecting millions more. The avian flu H9N2 is ravaging bird populations throughout Asia. They're bad enough on their own...but what if they joined forces?
The swine flu pandemic of 2009 was one of the worst flu scares in recent memory, even if its actual effects ended up being relatively moderate. Now something unambiguously good could come of all this: a universal flu vaccine.
The Holidays are depressing. Religious celebrations aside, they're filled with time spent with a family you didn't choose, little sun, zero free time and an obligation to buy stuff for other people. Do you know someone with this outlook?
Some churches in Italy are installing automatic holy water dispensers that, much like soap dispensers, squirt out an individual portion when you place your hand underneath it. To fight swine flu, of course!
The Pandemic That Was Going to Kill Us All But Didn't is still alive, lurking to take you in a one-way trip across the Styx. Or a two-way trip to Snotland. Google Maps points the way to the nearest vaccine.
Swine flu! It's the panic du jour, far less dangerous than eating poorly cooked chicken or getting in a car, yet apparently infinitely more scary. And now Harvard will take $2 to scare you on your iPhone.
We love high-speed photography, but seeing Adam hurl a juicy sneeze at Jamie in super slowmo is enough to make us smash our EX-F1s. Still, it's for a noble cause: Awareness and avoidance of H1N1, aka Swine Flu. [Discovery]
The Vioguard keyboard might be the first keyboard to specifically target the swines, using two 25-watt UV lights to kill 99.99% of viruses and bacteria in about 90 seconds.
A Japanese company called Haruyama Trading Co. has developed a suit that supposedly protects the wearer from the H1N1 hysteria virus. Finally!
Ever wondered if someone in your neighborhood has a case of Swine Flu, African Horse Sickness, Chicken Pox, or other infectious diseases? Today's your lucky day: the HealthMap app will show you up-to-date reports and even send push alerts.
With the middle of the year having fallen earlier this week (July 2nd for the curious), it's time to take stock, look back and wonder: What has 2009 taught us so far?
Scientists now have an idea of just how the H1N1 virus may be so deadly, and what makes it different from earlier viruses from the same family. Hint: It's where it goes inside your body that counts.
While public concern over the H1N1 influenza may have quietened down, that doesn't mean that the threat of swine flu is over for now. Just the opposite - the WHO has officially designated it the first pandemic in over 40 years.
Could pig embryos help humans become healthier and more resistant to illnesses like swine flu? That's a theory that's currently being investigated by Israeli scientists, but is it kosher?
This border entry and exit checkpoint with thermoscan controls is how your airport will look in a few years. If you are lucky. Swine Flu or not, this is our future.
A fake BBC news site reports that swine flu is creating zombies. Still it makes our hearts flutter reading news reports like this: "After passing....he rose from the dead and lunged at his mother."
