Free Republic

Conservative writer Bre Payton died suddenly Friday at age 26 after being diagnosed with an illness. Payton, a writer at The Federalist, was discovered unconscious by friend Morgan Murtaugh, early Thursday morning and was taken to a San Diego hospital. Murtaugh shared on Twitter that Payton had been diagnosed with H1N1 flu, commonly known as swine flu, before she died suddenly on Friday.

Around 8:30 this morning, December 27th, Bre's friend went into her room and found her unresponsive and barely breathing. She immediately called 911 and Bre was taken to the hospital where she was admitted to the ICU, sedated & intubated, and doctors began working up a diagnosis. After a CT scan and hours of testing, they have determined she has the H1N1 flu and possibly meningitis. The doctors are concerned that her neurological signs are not great at this point and have informed us the next 24-48 hours are going to be critical for her. George is in the hospital...

Federal authorities are reporting widespread flu activity across the country and two states (Ga. & Colorado) with especially high levels. Previously high rate of influenza in Louisanna are beginning to drop off. This report consists of medical data as of 12/15/18, and includes a graphic map .

GUATEMALA CITY The Latest on an 8-year-old Guatemalan boy who died in U.S. custody (all times local): 10:30 p.m. New Mexico authorities say an autopsy performed on the 8-year-old Guatemalan boy who died in U.S. custody shows he had the flu. The New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator says in a statement late Thursday that more tests need to be done before a cause of death can be determined for Felipe Gomez Alonzo.

‘In the winter of 1918-1919, a flu pandemic affected 500 million people and killed between 40 million and 70 million. ’ In the autumn of 1918, a global influenza outbreak began that would claim more lives than World War I (or the Great War). The war itself, which ended in November 1918, had a significant impact on how the virus spread around the world – and even influenced the name Spanish Flu. Soldiers from Fort Riley, Kansas, ill with Spanish influenza at a hospital ward at Camp Funston (US Army Photographer) ___________________________________________________________________ There was nothing particular ‘Spanish’ about the flu:...

A Las Vegas man lost his vision, became partially paralyzed and has been unable to breathe without assistance since getting a flu shot last month.Shane Morgan and his wife Monique decided to get flu shots on November 2, believing it would help protect them and young family members ahead of the busy holiday season.But what they thought was a pro-active measure turned to horror when Shane began losing feeling in his arms and legs.“About 36-hours after he got the flu shot he started to get sick,” Monique explained to KSNV.“I never dreamed that any of this could ever happen,” Shane...

A Las Vegas father has been hospitalized in a critical condition after receiving his flu shot, which his wife blames for her husband's life-threatening condition.

Many of us have heard stories of people who still got sick even after getting a flu shot. Or perhaps you got the flu shot only to find yourself sick a few weeks later anyway.

Got hit with the flu yesterday. Feel aweful. Still drug myself to the polling site and voted. If you haven’t voted, GET OUT THERE AND VOTE! No excuses!!!

Following last year’s flu season — the worst in decades, killing an estimated 80,000 Americans — health professionals have a strong warning for citizens as this year’s flu season arrives: get your flu shot. “The flu shot is incredibly important because it reduces your risk of contracting the flu,” Michelle Lin, an emergency room doctor, and professor of emergency medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City, told Fox News on Thursday. Blah, blah, blah

Flu activity is beginning to pick up for the 2018-2019 season, and one of the earliest deaths was already reported.

CDC Says 80,000 People Died of the Flu Last Winter in the U.S An estimated 80,000 people died of the flu and its complications in the U.S. last winter — the highest death toll for the diseases in at least four decades. At a Glance The CDC says everyone 6 months old or older should have a flu vaccination. This year's formulation is expected to work better than last year's. The flu season can begin as early as October or November.

Ten people were tested for a battery of respiratory viruses and bacteria in hopes of ruling out serious pathogens that could present a public health threat. Two of them tested positive for an especially virulent type of influenza A virus, and one of the two, who was gravely ill with pneumonia, was co-infected with another respiratory virus, Cetron said. A third person tested positive for a cold virus. All three had taken part in the Haj, which this year drew 2 million people to Mecca, Cetron said. Seven crew members, who boarded the flight in Dubai and were not at...

The New York City mayor's office says 10 people hospitalized after a large commercial jet arrived from Dubai have tested positive for influenza. Mayoral spokesman Eric Phillips tweeted on Thursday that some tests came back inconclusive on other viruses and will be re-administered. All 10 patients will be kept in the hospital as a precaution until the final results come in. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention quarantined the double-decker Emirates aircraft holding 520 passengers Wednesday so it could evaluate about 100 of them. Some had complained about coughs, headaches, sore throats and fevers.

A century ago, in September 1918, Boston lived up to its reputation as “the hub of the universe,” perhaps more so than at any other time in its history. A Massachusetts Army unit, known as the Yankee Division, was winning the first all American battle of World War I. The Boston Red Sox were on their way to yet another World Series victory, solidifying their place as the most dominant team of the era. A Boston woman was almost single-handedly driving the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, and women’s right to vote, toward ratification. Most memorably, the deadly Spanish...

For over a year, the Chinese government has withheld lab samples of a rapidly evolving influenza virus from the United States — specimens needed to develop vaccines and treatments, according to federal health officials. Despite persistent requests from government officials and research institutions, China has not provided samples of the dangerous virus, a type of bird flu called H7N9. In the past, such exchanges have been mostly routine under rules established by the World Health Organization. Now, as the United States and China spar over trade, some scientists worry that the vital exchange of medical supplies and information could slow,...

One dose of the medication, called Xofluza, cripples influenza by interfering with an enzyme critical for viral replication. Health authorities in Japan on Friday (February 23) approved a new flu medication, called baloxavir marboxil (Xofluza), that aims to stop the virus within one day, according to The Wall Street Journal. The drug works by blocking the flu virus’s ability to use the host cell for replication. That’s a different mechanism from oseltamivir (Tamiflu), an anti-influenza medication available in the U.S. that works by blocking the virus’s neuraminidase enzyme, preventing its escape from the host cell. “The data that we’ve seen...

I can't seem to find which company developed or has the patent for the flu vaccine. Would it be the same company for all the different strains each year?

The flu vaccine is more effective than expected, federal health officials said on Thursday at a special news conference held to discuss the dangerous flu season, which is expected to kill more than 50,000 Americans. This year’s vaccine is about 25% effective against the H3N2 strain of flu that is causing most illnesses and deaths, said Dr. Anne Schuchat, acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Per the NYT. But look at the AP story. The flu vaccine is doing a poor job protecting older Americans and others against the bug that’s causing most illnesses. Preliminary figures released...

The head of the World Health Organization, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Gebreysus, warned the medical community that humanity is not ready, and is, therefore, vulnerable to a pandemic. The next outbreak, he said, will have terrible consequences for both the population and the economies of many countries. At the same time, he did not specify what disease or infection should be expected. The latest fears of a pandemic emerged after the violent outbreaks of influenza in recent years. But most of all, the medical community was shocked at...