SWINE FLU

A new study shows how scientists used the 2009 pandemic as a “natural experiment” to discover how the body’s immune system builds resistance to the flu.

Middle-earth, the land of hobbits, may be mythical, but so too is New Zealand. The only difference is you can visit the latter.

Swine flu is making a comeback as a new strain of the virus has begun spreading, with more than 100 cases reported this year, according to the Centers for Disease Control. The surprising culprit? State and county fairs. And doctors warn its now much easier to transmit among humans.

The total confirmed cases of the Influenza A variant virus that has been transmissible from swine to humans in Indiana jumped from just 11 last week. The cases, which show symptoms of a mild seasonal flu, have been found in 18 counties across the state, state health official said.

A virus that jumped from birds to seals turns out to have adaptations that could make it transmissible to humans as well.

A new study says the swine flu pandemic of 2009 might have killed as many as 579,000 people. The original count, compiled by the World Health Organization, put the number at 18,500.

A swine flu outbreak in India has claimed 12 lives since the beginning of this month and more than a hundred people have been infected so far. The source of the outbreak has not yet been determined, but India's Health Ministry has said it is being contained and urged people not to panic.

Counterfeit drugs pose a significant threat to public health, but sales of fake drugs grows steadily.

The virus EV-71, a more virulent enterovirus, has infected more than 6,000 and killed nine children since January in Vietnam. A 22-month-old boy has died from hand, foot and mouth disease in central Vietnam, bringing the country's death toll nine this January, an official said.

Two studies showing how scientists mutated the H5N1 bird flu virus into a form that could cause a deadly human pandemic will be published only after experts fully assess the risks, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday.

Two studies showing how scientists mutated the H5N1 bird flu virus into a form that could cause a deadly human pandemic will be published only after experts fully assess the risks, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday.

Mexico, where the deadly H1N1 worldwide pandemic began three years ago, has seen a large increase in the number of swine flu cases in 2012

Flu pandemics may be linked to La Niña weather conditions that alter bird migration patterns and can promote dangerous new strains of the human influenza virus, according to American scientists in a statement on Monday.

The World Health Organization issued a stern warning on Friday to scientists who have engineered a highly pathogenic form of the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus, saying their work carries significant risks and must be tightly controlled.

The World Health Organization issued a stern warning on Friday to scientists who have engineered a highly pathogenic form of the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus, saying their work carries significant risks and must be tightly controlled.

Twitter has released a list of Hot Topics for 2011; according to its data, Hollywood actors Charlie Sheen and the late Elizabeth Taylor were among the top-trending actors for the year.

Michele Bachmann had yet another oops moment on Nov. 30 when she argued that she would remove the U.S. embassy from Iran if she were president. The problem? America hasn't had an embassy in Iran since 1980. Here, watch the GOP presidential hopeful's top ten gaffes, from her confusion about Libya to the founding fathers.

Draft recommendations shoot for 90 percent vaccination rate by 2020.

Thousands of tourists and residents have fled from the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico after hurricane Rina, downgraded to a tropical storm, churned on its projected path.

Thousands of tourists and residents have fled from the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico after hurricane Rina, downgraded to a tropical storm, churned on its projected path.

Scientists are scrambling to develop a universal flu vaccine that will protect against all strains of influenza. Some pharmaceutical companies say that vaccine could be available as soon as 2014.