Why there's still no at-home flu test

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Why we still don't have at-home flu or RSV tests By Alice Park Senior Health Correspondent If you’re like me, you’ve probably become adept at testing yourself, or your kids, at home for COVID-19. And you may be wondering why you can’t do the same for flu and RSV, both of which are now hitting record highs in the U.S. It’s important to know what virus you have as quickly as possible, since the antiviral treatments for influenza and COVID-19 are different. After talking to several infectious disease experts, here’s what I learned about how the pandemic has changed how we think about self-testing, and why flu tests might be coming soon: One barrier to self-testing in the U.S. is that we're a very medicine-centric country. Most medical-related tasks, including testing, are performed by health professionals because of concerns about how well the rest of us can conduct and interpret at-home tests. But COVID-19 showed that the public can reliably take a nasal swab and test themselves without the help of a health professional. The need to distinguish between flu, RSV, and the common cold is increasing, especially since antiviral therapies need to be started soon as symptoms first appear to be effective. Such kits may be available to the public, without a prescription, in as little as five years. READ THE STORY.   Share the story

What else to read Seven Tips for a Perfect Run By Christopher McDougall From the lobster rock reboot to finding a group, running guru Christopher McDougall lays out seven tips for a better—and more fun—run. Read More » How Gene Editing Could Help Solve the Problem of Poor Cholesterol By Markham Heid The science behind CRISPR and gene editing for LDL cholesterol is rapidly advancing. However, some major hurdles remain. Read More » Is It Bad to Exercise on an Empty Stomach? By Markham Heid It won't hurt. But eating before working out is better for most people. (Originally published in 2017.) Read More » These Are the Best and Worst Cooking Oils for Your Health By Alexandra Sifferlin Not all oils are created equal. (Originally published in 2018.) Read More » Why Food Could Be the Best Medicine of All By Alice Park There are a number of groundbreaking efforts to finally consider food a critical part of a patient's medical care. (Originally published in 2019.) Read More »

One Last Read TIME's 2022 Person of the Year Today, TIME announced its 2022 Person of the Year: Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky. Correspondent Simon Shuster embedded with Zelensky on a dangerous trip to the city of Kherson. "The situation on the ground is painful and tragic, but I think what a lot of what the coverage misses is the positivity and the resilience that Ukrainians show...not to give into despair, not to give into depression," Shuster says. No one is more emblematic of that courage than Zelensky, whose superpower is "grabbing the attention of the world," Shuster says, "and not allowing the world to turn away." Read More »

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