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One of the really exciting new things that we're working on with [UNKNOWN] and have recently seen some good success rates. It's actually letting the players design entirely new synthetic proteins that don't actually exist yet in nature, and so the scientists are actually interested in creating proteins that have some new function that they're interested in and they can pose these problems to the players and the players can use the tools and the game to actually design a hypothetical protein and these scientists can then actually they are out of the game and synthesize it in the lab with the laboratory experiments and see if it folds up and see if it actually has the effects that looking for and we just recently had sort of a series of puzzles based on designing an enzyme where the players and the scientists kind of went back and forth with several rounds of the players making proteins in the game and the scientists testing them out in the lab and we ended up with an enzyme that's actually several times more efficient than the one that the scientists started out with. 

And so we're looking and using the same process for designing new things like inhibitors for the flu virus. 
  

Can Gamers Solve Flu Epidemics?

It&rsquo;s no secret that the flu causes major illness and distress every year. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), doctor visits from influenza run into the tens of millions each season&mdash;and the virus contributes to tens of thousands of deaths in the U.S. every year, as well.&nbsp;

Since you never know how severe the flu season will be in advance, it&rsquo;s important to take steps to protect yourself and your loved ones. Here are some ways to cut down on germs to help keep your family well.&nbsp;

Wash your hands properly 
Aside from getting the <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/cold-and-flu/article/7-flu-shot-myths-that-can-make-you-sick">flu shot</a>, one of the best forms of protection during cold and flu season is frequent hand washing. &ldquo;We ask folks to wash their hands with soap and running water for at least 20 seconds, and to pay attention to under the fingernails and between the fingers, in the webs,&rdquo; emphasizes Tung.

Apply effective hand sanitizer correctly 
If you don&rsquo;t have access to a sink and soap, the next best way to cleanse dirty hands is using a hand sanitizer that contains at least 70 percent alcohol, which is necessary in order to disinfect. &ldquo;Again, we&rsquo;re asking people to cover the entire surface of the hand&mdash;paying attention to under the nails and between the fingers&mdash;and most importantly to ensure that the product is fully dried,&rdquo; states Tung. &ldquo;There is something about the drying process of the disinfectant that actually kills off the germs. This is why you&rsquo;ll often see doctors rub it all over their hands, and then wave their hands in the air in order to facilitate the drying process.&rdquo;

Scrub shared items 
Since the flu virus can remain &ldquo;alive&rdquo; for up to 24 hours on surfaces and objects, it&rsquo;s wise to cleanse objects regularly touched by the coughing, sneezing and shivering members of your household, including:

<ul>
	<li>Bath, kitchen and hand towels</li>
	<li>Tables and desks</li>
	<li>Countertops</li>
	<li>Doorknobs and light switches</li>
	<li>Faucets</li>
	<li>Toilets, including handles</li>
	<li>Steering wheels and car door handles</li>
</ul>

The CDC says that typical cleaning products containing chlorine, hydrogen peroxide, detergents, iodophors (iodine-based antiseptics) and alcohols can destroy the virus. Tung also recommends you wipe down shared digital equipment, such as keyboards, smartphones and remote controls. &quot;Disinfect any other items that are frequently handled or that may catch droplets of <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/lung-disease-respiratory-system/slideshow/everything-wanted-know-mucus">mucus and saliva</a>, especially toys of young children,&rdquo; she adds. And make sure not to share items like toothbrushes, cups and dishes.

Open the windows 
If you&#39;re in close quarters with germy family members, you might want to let in some fresh air. One of the reasons people get sick more often during colder months may be extended periods of time spent indoors, combined with poor air circulation in the home or office, says Tung. So, if possible, aerate your living area. &ldquo;Obviously, we don&rsquo;t want to lower the temperature too much where people are shivering and then their immune system becomes compromised,&rdquo; she adds.

Stop touching your face 
Even though you may be diligent about keeping your hands clean, microorganisms and bacteria are, well, just about everywhere. Therefore, the CDC recommends making an effort to keep your hands away from your eyes, nose and mouth as much as possible. If you&rsquo;re helping nurse someone in your home back to health, consider wearing disposable gloves when cleaning up their contaminated items in their area, such as tissues, towels or body fluids. You may want to wear a paper mask when helping them around the house, as well.

The general principles of healthy living&mdash;staying well-hydrated, getting enough sleep and eating a variety of foods that contain vitamins and minerals&mdash;should be followed when you have the flu and throughout the year, adds Tung.

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In general, most people who get the flu, can weather it out at home very safely, and it will pass in a bout a week or so. However, if you find that you have severe trouble breathing, because the flu is a respiratory illness, and so the risk that we're worried about are developing pneumonia or severe bronchitis that might require antibiotics. 

So if you find yourself with difficulty breathing, or fever that doesn't go away after five, six, seven days then it's time to go call your doctor, or go to an. 
  

When Should I See A Doctor for a Cold or Flu?

We&rsquo;ve all heard the advice to get the flu shot each fall. But is it really that important to do?

The short answer: yes. Here&rsquo;s what you need to know about the flu vaccine and why flu prevention is so essential.

The flu can be dangerous&mdash;even deadly 
While COVID-19 has quickly become the third-leading cause of death in the United States, <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/infections/cold-flu/dangerous-flu-symptoms-never-ignore" style="color:#0563c1; text-decoration:underline">influenza and its related complication pneumonia</a> killed almost 42,000 people in 2021.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, cases of flu plummeted leading to what some experts have called a &ldquo;missed&rdquo; flu season for 2020 to 2021. Hospitalizations due to confirmed influenza were the lowest on record since 2005, when this type of information started to be collected.

Precautions against COVID-19 such as masking, frequent hand-washing, and physical distancing most likely contributed to this drop in flu cases. Increased vaccination may have also played a part, related to efforts by public health authorities to boost vaccination rates. While uptake of the flu vaccine has lagged in the past, people were 23 percent more likely to get a flu vaccine in 2020 compared to 2019, according to one study published in the journal Vaccine in 2022.&nbsp;

Still, experts have warned of a possible COVID-19/influenza &ldquo;twindemic,&rdquo; and expressed concerns about more severe flu seasons in the years to come. &nbsp;

Other factors may contribute to more severe flu seasons. Low levels of influenza transmission during the COVID-19 pandemic means that your body may not have had to fight off an influenza infection for some time. For some people, their immunity to influenza may have waned, making them more susceptible to the flu. Also, the same precautions that protect against COVID-19&mdash;including masking, frequent hand washing, and social distancing&mdash;also protect against influenza. As those ease up, the likelihood of a worse flu season may increase.

What is the flu vaccine? 
The flu vaccine remains the most effective way to prevent the flu and to protect your health and the health of your community. In seasons when the vaccine is well-matched to most circulating influenza viruses, getting a flu shot may decrease the risk of flu illness by 40 percent to 60 percent. The CDC estimates that during 2019 to 2020, the flu shot prevented about 7.5 million cases of the flu, 3.7 million visits to healthcare providers (HCPs), 105,000 hospitalizations, and 6,300 flu-related deaths.

Although the precise formulations of the vaccine change every year, the basic foundations of the vaccine remain constant. The shots are either made with flu viruses that have been inactivated, which means they&rsquo;re not infectious, or&mdash;in the case of recombinant flu vaccines&mdash;they&rsquo;re made without viruses at all. This means that you can&rsquo;t get the flu from any type of shot.

Depending on the year, both three-component or four-component vaccines may be available.

Three-component vaccines defend against three types of flu virus: an influenza A (H1N1), another influenza A (H3N2), and an influenza B virus. The four-component vaccines protect against these same viruses, plus an additional B virus. Your HCP will recommend you get either the three- or four-component vaccine depending on your age, the health of your immune system, allergies, and other factors. For adults over the age of 65, higher-dose vaccines may be recommended since they are stronger and more effective for people who have weakened immune systems.&nbsp;

During some years, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recommended use of a nasal spray flu vaccine, also known as live attenuated (weakened) influenza vaccine, or LAIV. If you are between the ages of 2 and 49, you may be eligible to receive the nasal spray vaccine. People who fall outside this age range, are pregnant, who have weakened immune systems, and who have certain other medical conditions may not be able to receive this vaccine.

How is the flu vaccine selected? 
Because the flu virus is constantly changing, researchers reevaluate the expected strains each year. The exact components of the vaccine, therefore, may change from year to year. The World Health Organization (WHO) assembles a board of researchers from their own collaborating centers and other key laboratories&mdash;including the CDC and the Francis Crick Institute&mdash;to determine:

<ul>
	<li>Which viruses are making people sick</li>
	<li>How fast the viruses are spreading</li>
	<li>The effectiveness of the previous vaccine</li>
</ul>

Once this information has been presented and reviewed&mdash;usually in February of each year&mdash;the FDA makes the official vaccine decision for the U.S. After that, manufacturing companies begin creating the vaccine, a process that usually takes about six months. HCPs typically know what the vaccine will contain in August or September and can usually begin administering it at the beginning of October.

Who needs the shot? 
The CDC recommends that anyone six months or older get the flu vaccine. And for people who have an increased risk of flu-related complications&mdash;including those under five years of age, those over the age of 65, those in nursing homes or other care facilities&mdash;it&rsquo;s vital to adhere to flu vaccine recommendations.

Pregnant people should also get the flu shot during and after pregnancy. It can greatly reduce the risk of complications and protect your infant from illness for several months after birth. An infant is too young to be vaccinated but can still receive antibodies to the flu from its mother during pregnancy.

If you have the following conditions, it&rsquo;s also imperative to get a flu shot, because contracting the flu may worsen symptoms or lead to complications that require hospitalization:

<ul>
	<li>Asthma or chronic lung disease</li>
	<li>Neurological conditions or past stroke</li>
	<li>Heart disease</li>
	<li>Blood disorders</li>
	<li>Endocrine disorders such as diabetes</li>
	<li>Kidney or liver disorders</li>
	<li>Metabolic disorders</li>
	<li>Weakened immune system</li>
	<li>Obese with a BMI of 40 or higher</li>
</ul>

​There are some exceptions to the recommendations, though.

People who are under 6 months of age or who have had Guillain-Barr&eacute; Syndrome in the past should not receive the flu vaccine. (Guillain-Barr&eacute; is a rare disorder in which your immune system attacks nerve cells causing muscle weakness and sometimes paralysis. Most people recover.)

Likewise, you shot not get the flu shot if you have had a severe allergic reaction in the past to it, or you are allergic to certain vaccine components like gelatin or certain antibiotics. And, while many flu vaccines are made using egg-based technologies, most people with egg allergies can still receive the flu vaccine without needing to be observed for an allergic reaction. If you have a severe egg allergy, talk with your HCP about the safest way for you to receive the vaccine.

The timing matters 
When should you get the flu shot? And is getting the shot at one time of year more effective than another?

In the ideal scenario, you&rsquo;d get the shot before the flu starts to spread each year. The CDC recommends getting your annual flu shot by the end of October. Because children age 6 months to 8 years who are getting vaccinated for the first time need two doses four weeks apart, it&rsquo;s a good idea to begin their vaccination process a bit earlier.

If you miss the earlier window, <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/coronavirus/flu-shot-excuses-debunked" style="color:#0563c1; text-decoration:underline">it&rsquo;s not too late</a>. You can still get vaccinated. It&rsquo;s better to get the flu shot than not, regardless of when you get it. It&rsquo;s important to know, though, that it can take about two weeks after you&rsquo;ve received the vaccine for your immune system to start helping protect you against the flu. During that time, consider taking precautions against the flu such as frequent hand washing and avoiding close contact with people who are sick, especially if you are at risk for flu-related complications.

If you&rsquo;re unsure about whether or not to get the flu shot, check with your HCP. The vaccine can help protect your health and the health of those around you. An added convenience: You can get the flu vaccine and the COVID vaccine at the same time.

What You Need to Know About the Flu Shot

Get the facts&mdash;and forget the myths&mdash;so you can avoid the flu this season.

Cold and flu