influenza

Massachusetts is struggling through the coronavirus pandemic, but it’s not the first outbreak to hit our state over the last few centuries. We’ll take you through the history and how what happened to the diseases and viruses that have hurt us before.

Massachusetts students are no longer required to get the flu vaccine this school year, health officials announced Friday, citing a mild flu season and a need to concentrate on getting people vaccinated for COVID-19. Nevertheless, health officials are still recommending that people have their children get the seasonal flu vaccination every year, regardless of the requirement being dropped. The Massachusetts…

Doctors at hospitals across Massachusetts and the globe believe the measures being taken to prevent the spread of coronavirus are responsible for a dip in cases of familiar viruses like the flu.

As coronavirus cases have surged across the country, other viruses, like the flu, are in decline because of the widespread shutdowns. It’s good news, but experts fear a rebound when lockdowns are lifted.

The same measures that are recommended for reducing the spread of the coronavirus, including social distancing, frequent hand washing and wearing face masks, may also help limit the impact of cold and flu season.

The flu severity level in the state had increased to “very high,” health officials in Massachusetts said Friday. The increase comes as the percentage of visits to health care facilities for influenza-like illnesses continued to increase and remained higher than the previous two years during the same week, the department of Public Health said in a statement. Flu severity level…

A second wave of flu is hitting the U.S., turning this into one of the nastiest seasons for children in a decade. The number of child deaths and the hospitalization rate for youngsters are the highest seen at this point in any season since the severe flu outbreak of 2009-10, health officials said Friday. And the wave is expected...

An influx of patients reporting flu-like symptoms is overcrowding emergency rooms in Boston and across the region, forcing doctors to issue a plea to the public. Doctors at Brigham and Women’s Hospital said its emergency department has been inundated with patients potentially infected with the flu, which often leads to longer wait times and sometimes forces doctors to treat...

Hospital officials say more people are going to emergency rooms with flu symptoms.

The flu continues to spread across the U.S., with elevated activity in nearly every state. On Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported widespread flu in 30 states — mostly on the West Coast, along the southern border, and in the Mid-Atlantic states. The CDC estimates there have been at least 3.7 million flu cases so far this...

Ten people at an Oklahoma care facility for people with intellectual disabilities were hospitalized after they were apparently accidentally injected with what’s believed to be insulin rather than flu shots, authorities said. Emergency responders were called Wednesday afternoon to the Jacquelyn House in Bartlesville, about 40 miles (65 kilometers) north of Tulsa, on a report of an unresponsive person and...

Massachusetts health officials say a teenager has died from an influenza-related illness. The Department of Public Health said the teenage boy, a resident of Middlesex County, has been confirmed as the fourth flu-associated pediatric death of the flu season. A 4-year-old girl from Lowell, a 4-year-old girl from Framingham and a 12-year-old boy from Milford succumbed to the illness in...

Red Sox manager Alex Cora announced Monday when we can expect to see Dustin Pedroia make his spring debut.

Massachusetts health officials say a third child has died as a result of complications from influenza. Officials said the patient was a girl from Middlesex County. Her death was announced Tuesday. It was the third fatality of the year. Earlier this month, officials said a 4-year-old girl from Framingham and a 12-year-old boy from Milford died from the flu. Both...

Massachusetts health officials say a third child has died as a result of complications from influenza. Officials said the patient was a girl from Middlesex County. Her death was announced Tuesday. It was the third fatality of the year. Earlier this month, officials said a 4-year-old girl from Framingham and a 12-year-old boy from Milford died from the flu. Both...

Massachusetts health officials say another child has died as a result of complications from influenza. Massachusetts Department of Public Health officials identified the child as a 4-year-old girl from Framingham. The child died within the past week.

Flu season is upon us and hitting its peak across Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Thursday, the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human services has confirmed the first flu-related death in the Granite State.

We all know this year’s flu season has been severe. But now the Centers for Disease Control says in the U.S., we’ve reached levels that rival the 2009 swine flu pandemic.

Tamiflu is a prescription medication that can ease flu symptoms and stop them from getting worse, and it’s seen shortages this year amid a fierce outbreak that’s killed at least 37 children. But “Today” reports that a family in Indiana fears that Tamiflu’s effects may have led to the suicide of 16-year-old Charlie Harp. A legal guardian of Harp’s told...