What Can I Do To Prevent Myself From Getting Swine Flu?

Dr. Barron answers the question: 'How Can I Protect Myself From Swine Flu?'

By
Michelle Barron, M.D., Associate Professor of Medicine, Infectious Disease, University of Colorado
September 25, 2008, 9:56 AM ET
1 min read

May 27, 2009 -- Question: What can I do to prevent myself from getting swine flu?

Answer: The best way to avoid getting swine flu or any of the other viruses that often circulate during winter months is to keep your hands cleans. It's probably the simplest, most effective means of doing this. So washing your hands frequently with soap and water, or using alcohol based hand sanitizers are a very effective way of eliminating any kind of germs you might pick up from having contact with door handles or other things. And also prevents you from then putting it on your nose or on your eyes or your mouth, where it generally comes into contact with your body and can cause the infection.

Obviously the other way to avoid getting the swine flu is to avoid people who are sick. And so someone that's coughing or sneezing, obviously trying to stay away from those individuals are always a good measure.