Flu cases are through the roof across the U.S. right now. And, while cold and flu season always packs a punch, it feels like this year has been especially bad. That's because a common strain of flu has gotten better at surviving바카라 게임 웹사이트�and getting people sick, new research suggests. The study, which was published in February in the journal Nature Microbiology, found that influenza A viral particles can actually adapt their shape to remain infectious and stick around longer, ultimately driving up flu cases. Here바카라 게임 웹사이트�s what the study found, plus what infectious disease doctors want you to know about how you can keep yourself safe out there right now. What did the new study find?For the study, researchers analyzed influenza A particles in a lab to see how they responded to environmental conditions. They discovered that the particles could change their shape to be either spheres or larger filaments (a slender shape) to better infect cells based on certain environmental conditions.This ability, which wasn바카라 게임 웹사이트�t detected in the past, could help explain how flu A is able to stick around in populations and even break through the existing immunity you may have already built up. How does a virus become more infectious?In this case, flu A viruses have learned to mutate to stay alive longer, which in turn makes it more likely that you (and everyone around you) gets infected. 바카라 게임 웹사이트�With a change in genome, it can rapidly change shape to its survival advantage,바카라 게임 웹사이트� says Thomas Russo, MD, a professor and chief of infectious disease at the University at Buffalo in New York.This isn't necessarily new info, but experts hadn't observed this specific shape-shifting in the flu before. Viruses generally tend to mutate to become more infectious, explains infectious disease expert Amesh A. Adalja, MD, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. What바카라 게임 웹사이트�s the difference between flu A and flu B?There are actually four different strains of the flu바카라 게임 웹사이트�A, B, C, and D바카라 게임 웹사이트�but A and B are the most common in our population and the ones responsible for waves of flu cases every fall and winter, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Flu A can infect people and animals, while flu B is mostly a human virus. There are also 130 different subtype combinations of flu A, while flu B has just two lineages (B/Yamagata and B/Victoria), per the CDC. Fun fact: B/Yamagata strains haven바카라 게임 웹사이트�t been detected since the COVID-19 pandemic began, so flu B is technically down to just B/Victoria right now.On the whole, flu A viruses tend to cause a more intense illness, Dr. Russo says. 바카라 게임 웹사이트�Both flu A and flu B can be lethal, but flu A tends to cause more severe disease,바카라 게임 웹사이트� he says. Another major difference, according to Dr. Adalja: Flu B 바카라 게임 웹사이트�does not cause pandemics,바카라 게임 웹사이트� but flu A does. How concerned should I be?The latest study findings may feel a little unnerving, but Dr. Russo points out that this doesn바카라 게임 웹사이트�t mean the flu has suddenly changed. 바카라 게임 웹사이트�This is something that바카라 게임 웹사이트�s been going on forever바카라 게임 웹사이트�we바카라 게임 웹사이트�re just becoming aware that the virus can change form to something that바카라 게임 웹사이트�s most advantageous to survive and propagate,바카라 게임 웹사이트� he says. Still, there바카라 게임 웹사이트�s a lot of flu virus flying around out there right now, and Dr. Russo says it바카라 게임 웹사이트�s important to do what you can to lower the odds you바카라 게임 웹사이트�ll contract it. How can I protect myself?You바카라 게임 웹사이트�ve heard this before, but doctors stress that getting the flu vaccine is the best way to protect yourself. While being vaccinated against the flu isn바카라 게임 웹사이트�t a guarantee that you won바카라 게임 웹사이트�t get infected, it can still lower the odds you바카라 게임 웹사이트�ll get seriously ill from the virus. Also, make sure to wash your hands often, and avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth. If you바카라 게임 웹사이트�re considered high risk for serious complications of the flu (or you have something coming up that you don바카라 게임 웹사이트�t want to be sick for), Dr. Adalja says it바카라 게임 웹사이트�s also worth masking up in crowded indoor settings, too.