Influenza

In the first cases of H5N1 bird flu detected in cats in the country for seven years, two cats have died from the virus in South Korea.

The third person ever recorded to have contracted H3N8 bird flu has died in China, with all three infected people having been exposed to live poultry.

In the third ever case of a human infection by H3N8 bird flu—a different virus to the H5N1 bird flu currently in the U.S.—a woman in China has died.

In a world first, the three grizzly bears were found to have a form of highly pathogenic avian influenza, also known as bird flu.

Bird flu has been reported in 45 states.

The CDC announced that the one case does not change the human risk assessment for the general public, which is "low" at this time.

Almost 23 million birds have been killed in the U.S. this year because of the outbreak, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The detection of bird flu in a backyard flock of birds in New York is the latest in an ongoing spate of cases also involving turkeys and broiler chickens.

Two new outbreaks were reported just days after the U.S. ordered nearly 30,000 turkeys to be euthanized for testing positive for the disease.

There have been been 22,290 deaths from flu over the past three flu seasons, which spans October to May, compared with more than 31,000 COVID deaths over the last two weeks.

It's thought that T cells may provide longer-lasting protection against coronavirus than their protective counterparts—antibodies.

The first detected coinfection of COVID-19 and flu in LA has been reported in a teenager returning from Mexico, amid fears flurona could cause a "twindemic."

Experts say it's possible to catch COVID-19 and flu at the same time, as coronavirus and flu cases increase in number across the country.

Flu shots are updated annually to protect against new forms of the virus that arise.

The children, who are not eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine, have reportedly shown signs of heart issues.

The Spanish flu epidemic from 1918-19 killed an estimated 50 million people worldwide.

COVID patients analyzed in the study who had Influenza vaccinations were less likely to develop conditions including stroke, sepsis, and deep vein thrombosis.

New vaccines for HIV and seasonal flu are currently under development using the mRNA technique, along with vaccine therapies that could provide new treatments for cancer and other ailments.

"After reviewing death cases so far, it is not the time to suspend a flu vaccination program since vaccination is very crucial this year, considering ... the COVID-19 outbreak," Jeong Eun-Kyung, director of the KDCA, said during a briefing this week.

Of the total deaths reported following vaccination, 46 were believed to have no link to the flu shot, according to South Korean health officials.

Facebook removes another post from the president, citing the spread of COVID-19 misinformation.

Professor Niro Siriwardena at the University of Lincoln told Newsweek it is important that people at risk of flu complications get vaccinated.

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, getting the shot will "blunt" the flu's affect, the top infectious disease expert and White House coronavirus task force member has said.

There have been more than 13.3 million worldwide confirmed cases of COVID-19 during the current pandemic, and over 578,000 recorded deaths.

The study involved over 2,000 parents in the U.S..

This summer, don't complain about the humidity: it appears to help the lungs and immune system repel invading viruses and keep them from replicating.

And why does it feel so much worse than a cold?

This season, medics have been struck by the predominance of a different strain of flu that can be particularly damaging to children—influenza B.

Flu season is already here, but that's no reason to skip this year's vaccine. It not only protects against the flu but also lessens the severity of the illness.

The vaccine is the "first and most important step in protecting against influenza and its potentially serious complications," according to the CDC.