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 surviving맥스카지노�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. Here맥스카지노�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 wasn맥스카지노�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. 맥스카지노�With a change in genome, it can rapidly change shape to its survival advantage,맥스카지노� 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. What맥스카지노�s the difference between flu A and flu B?There are actually four different strains of the flu맥스카지노�A, B, C, and D맥스카지노�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 haven맥스카지노�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. 맥스카지노�Both flu A and flu B can be lethal, but flu A tends to cause more severe disease,맥스카지노� he says. Another major difference, according to Dr. Adalja: Flu B 맥스카지노�does not cause pandemics,맥스카지노� 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 doesn맥스카지노�t mean the flu has suddenly changed. 맥스카지노�This is something that맥스카지노�s been going on forever맥스카지노�we맥스카지노�re just becoming aware that the virus can change form to something that맥스카지노�s most advantageous to survive and propagate,맥스카지노� he says. Still, there맥스카지노�s a lot of flu virus flying around out there right now, and Dr. Russo says it맥스카지노�s important to do what you can to lower the odds you맥스카지노�ll contract it. How can I protect myself?You맥스카지노�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 isn맥스카지노�t a guarantee that you won맥스카지노�t get infected, it can still lower the odds you맥스카지노�ll get seriously ill from the virus. Also, make sure to wash your hands often, and avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth. If you맥스카지노�re considered high risk for serious complications of the flu (or you have something coming up that you don맥스카지노�t want to be sick for), Dr. Adalja says it맥스카지노�s also worth masking up in crowded indoor settings, too.