Swinefluhasyettoescalateintoaglobalpandemic,buthere'swhattodoifitdoes

　　5WaystoProtectYourself(andOthers)fromSwineFlu

　　Expertssaythatthestepsyoushouldtaketoshieldyourselffromswinefluarenotmuchdifferentthanthoseyoumighttaketowardoffseasonalflu.

　　1.Don'ttouchyourface

　　Aboveall,keepyourhandsawayfromyoureyes,mouthandnose,allofwhichserveaspathwaysforthevirustoenteryourrespiratorytract,saysAllisonAiello,anepidemiologistattheUniversityofMichiganSchoolofPublicHealthinAnnArbor.

　　2.Washyourhands

　　Ifyoumusttouchyourface,scrubyourhands,gettingunderthefingernailsandinsideallcrevices,for20to30secondswithhotsoapandwaterbeforehand,Aiellosays."Inadditiontodislodgingdirtthatmaycontainvirusparticles,soapscontainsurfactants[theprimarycomponentsofdetergents]whichcandamagethelipid[fat]protectingvirusparticles,"sheexplains.Soapshouldthereforebeeffectiveagainstallfluviruses.

　　3.Useahandsanitizer

　　Nosinknearby?Thenuseanalcohol-basedhandsanitizer,Aielloadvises.Aboutaquarter-sizespot,rubbedalloverthehandsuntilthesanitizerevaporates(usually10to15seconds),shoulddoit.Alcoholcaninactivatevirusesbydestroyingthestructureoftheirproteins,shenotes.

　　4.Coveryournoseandmouth

　　Whensomeonesneezesorcoughs,liquiddropletspackingfluvirusescantravelasfarasthreefeet(onemeter)throughtheairanddescendonyournoseormouth,soit'sbesttomaintainatleastanarm's-lengthdistancewhentalkingtosomeonewhoshowssignsofinfection,saysLouiseDembry,directorofepidemiologyatYale–NewHavenHospitalinConnecticut.Andtoprotectothers,coveryourmouthandnosewithatissuewhenyoucoughorsneeze,andcleanyourhandsafterward,shesays,notingthatvirusescanremaininfectiousforhours,ifnotlonger,whentheylingerontheskinorothersurfacessuchaskeyboardsandsubwaypoles.

　　5.Considerbuyingamaskincaseyouneeditinthefuture

　　Frompressphotos,itseemsthatMexico'sentirepopulationhasdonnedsurgicalmasks,buttheverdictisstilloutonhoweffectivetheyareinstemmingthespreadofflu,accordingtoAiello.Someresearchsuggeststhatmasks—eitherthesurgicalvarietyorrespiratorscalledN95'sspeciallydesignedtofilteroutwaterdropletscontainingviruses—reducetheriskofcontractingthefluorotherrespiratorypathogensbyasmuchas80percent,butresearchbyAiello'steamsuggeststhatmasksdolittleunlessusedinconjunctionwithdiligenthandwashing.

　　AccordingtotheU.S.CentersforDiseaseControlandPrevention,thereis"extremelylimited"dataontheeffectivenessoffacemasksandrespiratorsforblockingfluspreadincommunities.Theagencysuggests,however,thatpeopleconsiderusingthemwhenit'simpossibletoavoid"crowdedsettingsorclosecontactwithothers"inareaswhereswineflutransmissionhasbeenconfirmed:facemasksforcrowdedplacesandrespiratorsforsituationsthatinvolveclosecontactwithpeoplewhohaverespiratoryinfections(caringforasickfamilymember,forexample).