by Olivia Elsom

Created on: May 09, 2009

The Swine Flu virus is really no different from any other type of influenza virus, therefore the methods of preventing infection are exactly the same. "Preventing infection" is probably the wrong term to use, because the truth is you cannot possibly eliminate the risk of catching any type of flu, unless of course you can afford to take off to a desert island somewhere until it's all over! However, you can significantly reduce your risk of becoming infected by following some common-sense guidelines.

The most important one of these is to practice good hand hygiene. Consider that the flu virus can survive on soft surfaces (fabrics, cushions, curtains and upholstery for example) for about 20 minutes and on hard surfaces such as door handles, bannisters, walls, tables, etc for 24 hours. Now imagine all the surfaces that you touch during the course of a normal day, and then think about all the germs you are potentially accumulating on your hands the longer you go without washing them. It's not a pleasant thought and the fact is most of these germs will not harm us, but if flu germs have got into the mix they most certainly will cause us a problem. Wash your hands regularly throughout the day. Ordinary soap and water is fine, there is no need to go crazy trying to "disinfect" yourself with specialist products, but do wash your hands thoroughly.

Clean hard surfaces such as door handles regularly throughout the day. Again there is no need to go crazy with this, your usual cleaning product will be enough. Now, this obviously can only really apply to your own home or your place of work. Going round town cleaning all the door handles may be a public-spirited gesture but a) it's not really practical, and b) people will think you're nuts. However, keeping your own little part of the world clean is a good start!

I should also say a word about wearing face masks. For healthcare workers, who are likely to be in frequent close proximity to influenza sufferers, they are a sensible precaution to take. For everyone else they are really quite pointless. The virus is mainly spread by touching infected surfaces or by someone coughing or sneezing whilst standing very close to you. Unless you actually are standing very close to someone coughing and sneezing a mask will not give you any protection. There is also the problem of people not using facemasks correctly. To be effective masks have to be changed frequently, they are less effective if they are dampened by someone's breath, and also the risk of someone infecting themselves by touching the mask is high. Facemasks tend to give people a false sense of security whereas they would really be better focusing on good hand hygiene instead.

Finally, play your own part in helping to stop the spread of infection. If you are coughing or sneezing cover your nose and mouth with a tissue and then dispose of the tissue promptly and safely. Wash your hand frequently to avoid contaminating surfaces for others and, probably most importantly, stay indoors! If you suspect you have become infected with Swine Flu, or if you have been in close contact with someone else who has been infected, then seek medical attention quickly. Don't leave it to chance and minimise the possibility of spreading the infection to others.

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