The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has published their weekly analysis of influenza activity for the week of 7-13 June 2009. They conclude that ...influenza activity decreased in the United States, however, there were still higher levels of influenza-like illness than is normal for this time of year. During ...

This week's pop quiz involves analysis of an AFP news article entitled "US company makes first batch of swine flu vaccine". The article reports that Protein Sciences has been awarded a contract from the US Department of Health and Human Services to produce a vaccine by synthesizing the viral HA ...

Soon after the new influenza H1N1 strain emerged in April 2009, I began a series of blog posts on basic aspects of influenza virus replication and pathogenesis. The goal of this series is to provide information that will allow everyone to better understand the events surrounding emergence and spread of ...

My colleague Ian Lipkin has developed new methods to rapidly identify pathogens. At Pop!Tech 2008, he explained how an increased understanding of zoonotic diseases, together with advancements in diagnostic technology, are helping to detect the next emerging virus.

The influenza virus hemagglutinin (HA) is the viral protein that attaches to cell receptors. The HA also plays an important role in the release of the viral RNA into the cell, by causing fusion of viral and cellular membranes. HA must be cleaved by cellular proteases to be active as ...