Risk factors linked to severe H1N1 pandemic flu infection are similar to those for seasonal flu, with some distrinct differences, such as younger age groups and overweight/obesity, scientists reported in the journal PLoS Medicine.

This research study assessed the frequency and distribution of already established and newly found potential risk factors of severe influenza pandemics - a total of 70,000 H1N1 hospitalized patients were enrolled across 19 countries from April 2009 to January 2010.

Carrageenan, is a polymer derived from red seaweed which helps to create a protective physical barrier in the nasal cavity and has proven to be an effective antiviral in the treatment of the common cold. The present study assessed the efficacy of Carrageenan against influenza viruses, including the pandemic H1N1 influenza strain. Results showed that the polymer directly binds to influenza viruses, effectively blocking the virus from attaching to cells and spreading further. In animal experiments, Carrageenan demonstrated equivalent efficacy when compared to the drug Tamiflu.

A variant of last year's pandemic influenza linked to fatal cases carried a mutation that enabled it to infect a different subset of cells lining the airway, according to new research. The study, due to be published next week in the Journal of Virology, suggests that the mutant virus could have impaired the lungs' ability to clear out germs. The researchers behind the study, from Imperial College London, the Medical Research Council National Institute for Medical Research and the University of Marburg said the findings highlight the potential for deadlier strains of flu to emerge and spread.

As the United States prepares for the upcoming flu season, a group of researchers supported by the National Institutes of Health continues to model how H1N1 may spread.

The work is part of an effort, called the Models of Infectious Disease Agent Study (MIDAS), to develop computational models for conducting virtual experiments of how emerging pathogens could spread with and without interventions.

The WHO (World Health Organization) used the recommendations of 15 experts when deciding to class the H1N1 (swine flu) outbreak as a pandemic - 6 of them had declared potential conflicts of interest; they had close ties with drug and vaccine manufacturers. WHO released the names of the experts.

Children hospitalized with pandemic H1N1 influenza in 2009 were older and more likely to have underlying medical conditions than children hospitalized with seasonal influenza during prior flu seasons, according to a study presented Tuesday, May 4 at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Better Preparation Required For Next Flu Outbreak, Despite Mildness Of Swine Flu

Now that concerns about swine flu have eased, "[o]ur fear is that the public and officials will get blase about the next flu outbreak," according to a New York Times editorial. "Efforts to rush vaccine into production did not go well.

The continued spread of H1N1 influenza virus this spring is cause to pay heed to upper-respiratory maladies such as congestion, runny nose and cough, says David Kimberlin, M.D., a preeminent influenza specialist who co-directs the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases.