Three years after swine flu closed Mexico City and caused an international scare, the Mexican government and local media are at odds over the severity of this season's flu virus.

Closing schools helps to slow the spread of flu during pandemics, a study of infection patterns in Alberta suggests.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported the lowest influenza infection rate in 30 years of tracking flu activity, as well as the slowest recorded start to the flu season.