With the massive amount of media coverage today on every cable news network and website, swine flu is getting an unbelievable amount of attention, and rightfully so. World health agencies are scrambling to produce mass amounts of vaccines, and only the coming days will tell of their success.

In the mean time, there are things you are able to do to help lessen your chances of catching the now infamous swine influenza virus.  The steps you are able to take to help prevent you or your family from contracting it are extremelysimple and easy, but we figured it wouldn’t hurt to give you a refresher course.

Wash Your Hands

Yes, we used caps because as simple as this sounds, you would be amazed at how many people  do not wash their hands at home or in public (even after a restroom trip).  the simple act of soaping up with warm water will lower your chances of catching nearly anything, and when you are not in the habit of doing this, then you need to begin ASAP, namely when you live in any of the affected areas. I cannot imagine that you are so important and busy that you cannot take literally 3 minutes to wash your hands. Just do it.

Face Mask

As we ordinarily see in Asian countries during an outbreak, people  wear face masks for a good reason. While it’s not the sum solution, it can help prevent you from inhaling any airborne particles of the virus.

If you’re in an area that has confirmed cases of swine flu, the last thing you want to do is speak to someone face to face and accidentally catch a particle of their saliva in your mouth (which happens all the time, you just do not notice it). Face masks are really inexpensive, and may be easily obtained.

Limit physical contact

Most times it would be seen as a rude or disrespectful gesture to not shake hands, kiss, or hug (depending on what country you’re in), but I’m sure no one would’ve a problem with holding back physical contact during a time of worldwide emergency.  The less you touch other people , the lesser chance you’ve of coming into contact with the virus.

Limit public transportation

Everyone has to work, travel, etc