The prestigious Erasmus medical center in Rotterdam has launched a video game on the Internet. Is namedThe Great Fluand exercises in the fight against influenza viruses capable of causing pandemics such as the one currently threatening the planet.
? The aim is to attract the attention of public opinion to thepandemic threatand at the same time alert new generations about the actions that can be taken to respond to afuture outbreak?, explained Professor Ab Osterhaus, virologist, head of the center and one of the authors of the video game.
OnThe Great Flu, available for free on the Internet, the player can choose between five viruses of different dangers, which defines the level of difficulty of the game. When an infectious outbreak occurs, the player has to use one or more of the ten actions available on the left side of the screen to try to contain it: he can order the storage ofantivirals and vaccines, the distribution ofmasks, the closure of airports and schools, or the displacement of medical units to the affected regions, as well as deploying information campaigns or improving health systems.
But each of these actions is an expense. The player has ashoestring budgetwhose consumption can be displayed on the screen below theinfected and deceased. The game ends when thevaccineable to stop the spread of flu.
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