Avoiding The Swine Flu

If you haven’t heard of the swine flu by now, you must have been living under a rock for the past 3 months. On June 10, 2009 the World Health Organization declared the H1N1 Flu to a level 6 which classifies it as a global epidemic. This flu is now in many countries around the world and there are thousands of cases of it with many resulting in death. Due to the fact that this flu is a full blown epidemic, it may be around for years to come. Although not completely unavoidable, there are many things that you can do to decrease your risk of getting this flu. Here are a few tips to keep yourself and your family healthy:

1.  Wash your hands frequently. It sound so simple but the majority of people do not wash their hands frequently enough or for long enough on a daily basis. The swine flu is thought to be transported in the same way as a common cold - through respiratory droplets. If you touch objects that have been contaminated you are putting yourself at risk. For this reason it is important to wash your hands as frequently as possible throughout the day.

2. Be wary of traveling. Avoid areas such as Mexico City where there have been large numbers of the flu cases reported. You will cut your risk of getting the flu significantly and also reduce the risk of bringing the flu back to where you live and infecting others. If there are many swine flu infections in your area you should avoid large public gatherings as much as possible.

3. Don’t touch your face. Avoid touching your eyes, mouth and nose because you are much more likely to become infected if you have touched something infected and then touch these areas.

There is currently no vaccination for the Swine flu although scientists are working on one. If you do feel sick and experience cold or flu like symptoms do not go to work and contact your doctor immediately if your symptoms get worse.