Latest news with #respiratoryviruses
ABC News
26-06-2025
- Health
- ABC News
How to limit the spread of COVID, cold and flu at home in winter
Winter can be a contagious time of year for everything from COVID-19 to the common cold. Once someone in your household feels the first ominous tickle at the back of their throat, everyone else can feel doomed to follow. "It's always a challenge within households because we know households are the place where viruses like respiratory viruses spread really efficiently," says Catherine Bennett, Deakin University's chair of epidemiology. But there are ways to limit the risk of illnesses spreading from one family member or housemate to another, she says. Professor Bennett says if someone within your household becomes sick, it is possible you have already been exposed before they had any symptoms. However, if the sick person can isolate from the rest of household it's still worth it, she says. Ideally this would look like using a separate bedroom and bathroom to others. She says this degree of isolation is not possible or realistic for many households. Isolation can also look like someone sleeping on the couch to "reduce their risk of inhaling the virus" from their unwell partner overnight, she says. Medical director for government-funded online public health information service Healthdirect Darran Foo says if possible, the symptomatic person should remain isolated from the rest of the household until they no longer have active symptoms. For example, "no more ongoing fevers, no more coughing up lots of phlegm". If someone in the household is symptomatic, and isolating completely is not possible, Professor Bennett says a mask can help protect the rest of the household. "Wearing a mask if you're unwell can reduce your risk of passing it on to other people." Dr Foo also advises wearing a mask if it's possible and practical, particularly if you live in a smaller home like an apartment. Dr Foo recommends throwing used tissues away immediately and avoiding sharing cups, plates and cutlery in the household when someone is unwell, whether from a cold or COVID-19. "The biggest thing really is to maintain good hygiene, especially good hand hygiene," Dr Foo says. "Lots of hand washing and using sanitisers as much as possible." Professor Benett also says you should "wash your own hands more often in between touching things, even around the home" when you or someone else is sick. She recommends wiping down commonly used surfaces — such as the bathroom — more often. Any surfaces where someone has coughed may have droplets over them, she says. Professor Bennett says "bugs do so well [in winter because] we can't air our houses out". Poor ventilation will make it easier for viruses to spread, but she says increasing air turnover and introducing outdoor air can help. Open doors and windows when you can "so it's not the same air pushing right through the household that's around the person who's unwell." Dr Foo also says the more ventilation you can get at home the better, while of course avoiding hypothermia. Dr Foo says "the general advice all remains the same" if someone in the household is potentially more vulnerable. However, he says people more at risk of becoming seriously unwell may want to consult their regular healthcare professional who knows their medical history. "It really depends on that person's risk, their comorbidities and what ongoing conditions they have — and also to identify whether it's appropriate to use antiviral medication at that point in time." Professor Bennett says being diligent with mask wearing, hand washing and sanitising surfaces is particularly worth doing if someone in the house is vulnerable. Professor Bennett says being up to date with COVID-19 and influenza vaccinations will offer another layer of protection. "If you can't avoid infection in the household — and that's the hardest place to do it — then actually having some protection from severe illness is really important in influenza." In larger shared households there are more people to bring viruses home and that extra protection from vaccination is even more important, "particularly from severe illness in the vulnerable people in our households", Professor Bennett says. Dr Foo also encourages people to stay up to date with their vaccinations, "especially their annual flu vaccination and their COVID booster shots". This is general information only. For personal advice, you should see a qualified medical practitioner.
Yahoo
22-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Winter viruses can trigger a heart attack or stroke, our study shows. It's another good reason to get a flu or COVID shot
Winter is here, along with cold days and the inevitable seasonal surge in respiratory viruses. But it's not only the sniffles we need to worry about. Heart attacks and strokes also tend to rise during the winter months. In new research out this week we show one reason why. Our study shows catching common respiratory viruses raises your short-term risk of a heart attack or stroke. In other words, common viruses, such as those that cause flu and COVID, can trigger them. Traditional risk factors such as smoking, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity and lack of exercise are the main reasons for heart attacks and strokes. And rates of heart attacks and strokes can rise in winter for a number of reasons. Factors such as low temperature, less physical activity, more time spent indoors – perhaps with indoor air pollutants – can affect blood clotting and worsen the effects of traditional risk factors. But our new findings build on those from other researchers to show how respiratory viruses can also be a trigger. The theory is respiratory virus infections set off a heart attack or stroke, rather than directly cause them. If traditional risk factors are like dousing a house in petrol, the viral infection is like the matchstick that ignites the flame. For healthy, young people, a newer, well-kept house is unlikely to spontaneously combust. But an older or even abandoned house with faulty electric wiring needs just a spark to lead to a blaze. People who are particularly vulnerable to a heart attack or stroke triggered by a respiratory virus are those with more than one of those traditional risk factors, especially older people. Our team conducted a meta-analysis (a study of existing studies) to see which respiratory viruses play a role in triggering heart attacks and strokes, and the strength of the link. This meant studying more than 11,000 scientific papers, spanning 40 years of research. Overall, the influenza virus and SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID) were the main triggers. If you catch the flu, we found the risk of a heart attack goes up almost 5.4 times and a stroke by 4.7 times compared with not being infected. The danger zone is short – within the first few days or weeks – and tapers off with time after being infected. Catching COVID can also trigger heart attacks and strokes, but there haven't been enough studies to say exactly what the increased risk is. We also found an increased risk of heart attacks or strokes with other viruses, including respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), enterovirus and cytomegalovirus. But the links are not as strong, probably because these viruses are less commonly detected or tested for. Over a person's lifetime, our bodies wear and tear and the inside wall of our blood vessels becomes rough. Fatty build-ups (plaques) stick easily to these rough areas, inevitably accumulating and causing tight spaces. Generally, blood can still pass through, and these build-ups don't cause issues. Think of this as dousing the house in petrol, but it's not yet alight. So how does a viral infection act like a matchstick to ignite the flame? Through a cascading process of inflammation. High levels of inflammation that follow a viral infection can crack open a plaque. The body activates blood clotting to fix the crack but this clot could inadvertently block a blood vessel completely, causing a heart attack or stroke. Some studies have found fragments of the COVID virus inside the blood clots that cause heart attacks – further evidence to back our findings. We don't know whether younger, healthier people are also at increased risk of a heart attack or stroke after infection with a respiratory virus. That's because people in the studies we analysed were almost always older adults with at least one of those traditional risk factors, so were already vulnerable. The bad news is we will all be vulnerable eventually, just by getting older. The triggers we identified are mostly preventable by vaccination. There is good evidence from clinical trials the flu vaccine can reduce the risk of a heart attack or stroke, especially if someone already has heart problems. We aren't clear exactly how this works. But the theory is that avoiding common infections, or having less severe symptoms, reduces the chances of setting off the inflammatory chain reaction. COVID vaccination could also indirectly protect against heart attacks and strokes. But the evidence is still emerging. Heart attacks and strokes are among Australia's biggest killers. If vaccinations could help reduce even a small fraction of people having a heart attack or stroke, this could bring substantial benefit to their lives, the community, our stressed health system and the economy. At-risk groups should get vaccinated against flu and COVID. Pregnant women, and people over 60 with medical problems, should receive RSV vaccination to reduce their risk of severe disease. So if you are older or have predisposing medical conditions, check Australia's National Immunisation Program to see if you are eligible for a free vaccine. For younger people, a healthy lifestyle with regular exercise and balanced diet will set you up for life. Consider checking your heart age (a measure of your risk of heart disease), getting an annual flu vaccine and discuss COVID boosters with your GP. This article is republished from The Conversation. It was written by: Tu Nguyen, Murdoch Children's Research Institute; Christopher Reid, Curtin University; Diana Vlasenko, Murdoch Children's Research Institute; Hazel Clothier, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, and Jim Buttery, Murdoch Children's Research Institute Read more: Kicked out for coming out: more than half of LGBTIQ+ flatmates face discrimination for their identity Ticks carry decades of history in each troublesome bite Mosquito, tick or flea? How to avoid, identify and treat insect bites this summer Tu Nguyen is supported by an Australian Government Research Training Program PhD Scholarship and a Murdoch Children's Research Institute Top-Up Scholarship. Christopher Reid receives funding from National Health and Medical Research Council and the Medical Research Future Fund. Jim Buttery receives funding from the Medical Research Future Fund, the US Centres for Disease Control, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness and Innovation, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Victorian State Government. Diana Vlasenko and Hazel Clothier do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Yahoo
19-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
e4life Devices Take Stage at Japan Health in Osaka from 25th to 27th June
Can electromagnetic waves neutralize respiratory viruses? Now they can! This technology, developed by the Italian company e4life, has an efficacy rate of over 90% - confirmed by several research laboratories - neutralising influenza, RSV and Covid viruses, and it is capable of protecting both humans and animals against respiratory viruses In addition, a recent study published in Nature Scientific Reports demonstrates e4life effectiveness against the Avian Flu virus. Vincenzo Pompa, e4life CEO: "The One Health aims to reduce the risk of spillover between animals and humans and to allow each individual to enjoy a natural social life in safe spaces" ROME, June 19, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Can electromagnetic waves neutralize respiratory viruses? The answer is yes: on the stage of the Japan Health fair, from 25th to 27th June, e4life, the Italian company active in the biodefense industry, will be among the leading players presenting its innovative devices which use electromagnetic waves to render harmless respiratory viruses present in the air (transported via bioaerosol). This solution is a world first, with efficacy of over 90% and an almost instantaneous sanitizing action. Since it is 100% harmless to humans and animals, it does not require the evacuation of spaces and environments. This Italian patent does not use chemical agents or filter materials, and is based on the transmission of microwaves which, at a specific combination of frequency and power, act on the balance between the internal positive charges of the virus and the negative charges present in the capsid or outer shell, giving rise to a "resonance" phenomenon that destroys the external envelope of the virus and effectively inhibits its power to spread and to infect. The key intuitive moment came during the pandemic period and required two years of studies and in-depth analysis, starting from a research carried out by Taiwanese scientists published in the Nature Scientific Report. The first results came from testing different frequencies of electromagnetic waves on Covid and later, on other pathogens. One of the most interesting features of this new technology is the possibility of having a targeted action, allowing it to be calibrated on specific pathogens changing the resonance frequence. Its effectiveness has been validated against Covid, including recent variants, RSV and seasonal flu (in this case the effectiveness exceeds 95%), Avian Flu and Swine Flu. e4life has an important roadmap of research focused on constantly evolving and adapting the devices to an ever-increasing number of viruses and, in the near future, also bacteria. There are currently three products available using this technology, two for humans and one for animals. e4life personal is the portable, lightweight, compact version (100 grams x 8.5 cm) which is SAR certified. It is comfortable and safe to wear and is able to inactivate viruses by generating a "bubble" with a diameter of about three metres. Then there is e4life ambient which is the "fixed" version to be installed either on ceiling or walls with a range of action covering about 50 square metres. Lastly there is e4life FARM, the device dedicated to livestock farms and designed to combat animal viral diseases (actually Avian Flu and Swine Flu) which represent a threat to chicken, turkey and pigs. "This technology marks a breakthrough for applications in high-risk environments, both human and animal, such as farms, where controlling airborne virus transmission is essential, to minimize contagion among the animals themselves and also to reduce the risk of spillover - declares e4life CEO Vincenzo Pompa -. The focus and efficacy of our devices perfectly represent the meaning of what we are doing: it is the starting point of our commitment and it is closely linked to the concept of "One Health", an approach that recognizes and promotes the fundamental interconnection between human, animal and environmental health. Our goal is to revolutionize the biodefense sector through our solutions which allow each individual to enjoy a natural social life, interacting in safe spaces with no concerns or worries". Further confirmation of the value and importance of the results achieved by e4life are the numerous examples of recognition it has now received. In actual fact this technology has been subjected to scientific tests and has been validated by the Celio Military Hospital, the independent ViroStatics Institute and two studies published in the Viruses and the European Society of Medicine journals (Source: The technology has also been the subject of a test campaign carried out at Milan University's Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences. The results confirm those already obtained from previous test campaigns, i.e. a replicable efficacy of close to 90%. The Bio-Medico Campus at the University of Rome has instead collaborated in working on the control and efficacy of this technology. Furthermore, the JRC–HERA technological prospective study by the European Commission Joint Research Centre includes this technology among those which are currently available that can guarantee an increase in air quality in indoor environments. The already considerable number of validations has been expanded to include certification obtained from the University of Genoa, which has tested the technology's efficacy of over 90% on influenza and Covid viruses. A final further "seal of guarantee" comes from an article in the scientific journal Nature Scientific Reports, which describes a study demonstrating the effectiveness of electromagnetic waves in inactivating the avian flu virus. Moreover, the inactivation systems for respiratory viruses using electromagnetic waves have been included in the UNI/PdR 173-1 Reference Practices for Indoor Sanitization, a document drafted by UNI — the Italian Standardization Body — in collaboration with the National Institute of Health (Istituto Superiore di Sanità). This document sets out the requirements for managing indoor sanitization and the solutions that, even though they are not classified as medical devices, may be used for that purpose. The e4life devices are currently certified to be marketed in Europe, Australia, Japan, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Morocco and Egypt. View source version on Contacts E4life press office Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Washington Post
16-06-2025
- Health
- Washington Post
CDC virus expert resigns after RFK Jr.'s purge of vaccine advisers
A senior scientist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention who oversaw respiratory virus surveillance has resigned and raised concerns about the future of vaccine policy as Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. upends the agency's long-standing approach to immunization. Fiona Havers, a physician considered a senior subject-matter expert on respiratory diseases and vaccines, led the CDC's surveillance of hospitalizations for coronavirus and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a common respiratory virus that is the leading cause of hospitalizations in infants.
