Swine Flu Smackdown: How to Avoid Infection (and a Fistfight)

The tall woman with dyed reddish blond hair coughed loudly without covering her mouth. The shorter woman with a slicked-back bun wasn't happy about it. They were riding the southbound D train near Rockefeller Center during morning rush hour in New York City this week. A single cough quickly turned into an argument. "You need to cover your mouth," bun-woman reportedly said. "I don't want swine flu."

The war of words flared up quickly, according to a reporter for The Business Insider (who witnessed the altercation). Eventually, coughing-woman spit on bun-woman. Then someone threw a punch. In the end, coughing-woman tried to get off the train at 42nd Street, but bun-woman pulled her down to the ground by the hair.

"I could have decked her too," said a male witness. "That swine flu is treacherous." ^*****

Treacherous, indeed. In fact, if more people were aware of the contagion of single sneeze (or cough), there would probably be a lot more fistfights around the world.

One single sneeze propels 100,000 droplets into the air at around 90 mph, landing on subway strap handles, door knobs, ATM keypads, elevator buttons, escalator railings, and grocery carts.

In a subway station at rush hour, just one sneeze (i.e. spray + residue) can end up contacting as many as 10 percent of all commuters, according to British researchers. That means as many as 150 commuters can be sickened by one uncovered sternutation.

So what can you do to protect yourself? First and foremost, experts say, get the H1N1 vaccine whenever supplies become available. In the meantime - or in addition - what else can you do?

"No single action will provide complete protection," the CDC notes, but taking a few simple steps can help reduce the likelihood of transmission of swine flu (or many other infections).

1. Sanitize -- i.e. Wash Your Hands Frequently. It may sound obvious, but hand-washing with soap and water for around 20 seconds is the single best thing you can do (if you're going to go out into the world and interact with other human beings). The CDC estimates that 80 percent of all infections are spread by hands. If you can't wash your hands regularly, try hand-sanitizers with 60 percent alcohol content.

2. Avoid -- i.e. Engage in "Social Distancing." That's the fancy term for reducing unnecessary social contact, staying away from crowds, and avoiding people if you're sick or if you're concerned that they may be infected. It may not be especially practical when you have to go to, say, work, but experts believe it's worth repeating: Isolation and avoidance reduce your chances of getting infected or infecting others.

(Researchers in the UK -- mentioned above and sponsored by a cold remedy company -- found that 99 percent of commuters suffer at least one cold per winter. By contrast, 58 percent of people who work from home and 88 percent of those who walk to work caught a cold last winter).

If you need to go someplace crowded, the CDC says, try to spend as little time as possible and try to stay six feet away from potentially infected people.

3. Masks may help, but they aren't foolproof.

When used correctly, face masks may reduce the risk of getting infected or infecting other people, according to the CDC. But "no studies have definitively shown that mask use by either infectious patients or health-care personnel prevents influenza transmission."

When you see a surgeon wearing a mask, the purpose is to keep germs in so you she doesn't infect her patient. So-called N95 respirators are thicker, tighter-fitting, more expensive masks that keep out around 95 percent of all viruses.

However, a recent Canadian study found almost no difference in infection rates between health care workers who wore regular surgical masks vs. N95 respirators. Around 23 percent ended up sick, regardless of the protection.

According to WebMD, "one study shows that when there's a sick family member in the house, other family members could cut their risk of getting sick by 60% to 80% by using face masks consistently and correctly -- in combination with frequent hand washing and avoiding close contact with the sick person."

4. Be Alert -- i.e. Recognize the Symptoms and Get Help.

Swine flu symptoms are similar to regular flu: Fever, body aches, sore throat, cough, runny nose, vomiting, diarrhea, and lethargy. If you don't feel well, seek medical attention immediately.

It may not sound like much, but the best defense against the swine flu (and fist fights in subways) involves some very simple steps: Every sneeze should be covered -- preferably with the crook of an arm -- and every hand should be washed ... and washed again.

^**** What happened to the reporter who witnessed the smackdown on the subway? "Well, I seem to have confirmed the central premise of the attack," he writes.

"How?" he asks. "I now have the flu."

____________________

For more information about surviving the swine flu, please go to TheSurvivorsClub Website.

Or call the CDC's toll-free hotline: 1-800-CDC-INFO. Or check out the CDC Website.

For more questions and answers about swine flu prevention, visit Parentsask.com.

 

Follow Ben Sherwood on Twitter: www.twitter.com/survivorsclub

Comments

[Cassandrawept]

You really don't understand how contagious influenza is. The only way to stop or slow the flu is for people to quarantine themselves.

In my healthcare worksite I offered masks, 98% took them. When you ride BART, you can't escape. Our workplace has zero tolerence for working with flu.

Use fleece handkerchiefs. Buy fleece and cut it up into eight inch squares. WASH THEM BEFORE USING THEM. Fleece is much better than a cloth or paper handkerchief. It takes five layers of a cloth handkerchief to stop the aerosol of a sneeze. Paper handkerchiefs don't contain the sneeze or cough aerosol. Covering with a hand is worthless.

Masking while sick is difficult. One needs to be stretched out and especially if it's H1N1 you should be staying on your left side and fairly flat, to make it easier for your undamaged cillia to channel your flow of mucus into your stomach and not to your lungs. It will make it easier for your lungs to clear dead cells and fluids out, since they do it by moving junk into your trachea to be coughed out.
Don't sit curled up because it compresses your lungs. If you sit, do it in a lazy boy chair, or semi-reclining.
Drink warm water, it loosens phlem and feels better when you are feverish. I, my cousin, and brother, all fifties and overweight, took antibiotics from the start. I know I headed off an ear infection and then pneumonnia from this flu.

[maxwells]

Since vaccine supply is limited and this flu isn't hitting healthy older adults hard now, there's actually a shirking but legitimate cost/benefit rationale for some of us taking our chances, while counting on the rest take measures sufficient to keep the H1N1 spread rate from blowing up exponentially (which would also enhance its mutating to something more lethal, as happened in 1918). Then again, that rationale is like being a closet chicken hawk.

On the other hand, some of these posts seem akin to, a) Don't know what this is, so let's knee-jerk ignore it (e.g., I'm still kicking, be it by dumb luck or not); b) the vaccine includes trace toxins, so absorbing one molecule is much worse than coming down with flu. Makes me wonder how they feel about pumping self-service gasoline - benzene, heptane, iso-octane fumes....A­hhh; c) another chance to grind my pet axe - evil government, all Obama's fault, global conspiracy, Or toot my pet horn - eat it raw, do 5 miles of butterfly daily, follow Swami/fringe Dr. blah blah, faith covers everything in an otherwise hopelessly complex world I can't possibly understand, etc.

Seems doubtful such people will bother to look up "cytokine storming", at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cytokine_storm,
or look at
http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/vaccination/public/vaccination_qa_pub.htm , and
http://cdc.gov/h1n1flu/updates/us/#iligraph .

[mofmars333]

Save & pass this information on to help wake others, especially your physicians, people.

Take no one's word for anything this urgent without doing your own research, your children are too important not to.

Many doctors as referenced in the following links are speaking out & soon many more will be joining their ranks of truth.

"Swine Flu-One of the Most Massive Cover-ups in American History"

Renowned expert exposes major H1N1 myths.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/11/03/What-We-Have-Learned-About-the-Great-Swine-Flu-Pandemic.aspx

Doctors speak out;

http://www.brasschecktv.com/page/727.html

Doctor Admits Vaccine Is More Deadly Than Swine Flu Itself & Will Not Give It To His Kids

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1z7KSEnyxw&feature=related

Poisoning attempt’ charges filed against French H1N1 campaign

http://www.fleshandstone.net/healthandsciencenews/1662.html www.Nutronix.com/naturalsolutions Amazing

Physician Alert!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0JqQyl09zQ&feature=player_embedded

Jane Burgermeister who filed criminal charges is old news but credible & incredible so be sure to see all the information at her site;

http://www.theflucase.com/

Swine Flu Government Data Scam?

http://www.brasschecktv.com/page/731.html

Join "US" at;

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/peter-christian-hall/thimerosol-in-flu-vaccine_b_342736.html#postComment

[mofmars333]

Part 2

Young girl winds up in hospital after being injected with H1N1 swine flu vaccine without parental permission

http://www.naturalnews.com/027395_swine_flu_hospital_vaccine.html

Ron Paul

http://www.voteronpaul.com/newsDetail.php?Ron-Paul-Government-Can-Quarantine-the-People-2678

Chicken-pox Vaccine & Death – New US Government Study

http://childhealthsafety.wordpress.com/2009/11/06/chickenpoxadultdeaths/


Pentagon resumes experimental
vaccine testing on US troops

http://www.brasschecktv.com/page/16.html

[drstu2]

Respectfully suggest that your readers' interests might be served by considering the fact that four federal agencies, the US Navy, and most importantly, tens of dozens of schools and universities throughout the country have systematically banned alcohol-based sanitizers, and are incorporating non-alcohol alternatives

We know this because we field their calls every day, and we currently facilitate procurement needs for the country’s leading retailers (including Walmart), 400+ schools, 100+ government office locations, the US Navy (which formally banned alcohol hand sanitizers in January of this year), and more than 2000 institutional customers.

Of greatest importance perhaps, even CDC has recently acknowledged the “prohibition issue” and formally commented in September that non-alcohol hand sanitzers can be [just as’ useful].

All anyone needs to do is search ‘hand sanitizer’ on YouTube.com to see what kids are really doing with alcohol sanitizers…and realize the liability issues that can come with implementing flammable and toxic products within your venues, while alternative and safer products—which have been endorsed by a broad spectrum of experts, are readily available.

A good blog profiling the many schools and other venues that are banning alcohol products in favor of non-alcohol sanitizers can be found at www.handhygienefacts.blogspot.com

[Jimmy-do-2]

Continued.­..
Part II.

- Animal tissues horse blood, rabbit brain, dog kidney, monkey kidney, chick embryo, chicken egg, duck egg, pig blood, porcine (pig) pancreatic hydrolysate of casein (the pig protein/tissue is an additional objectionable issue for Jewish/Muslim people)
- Calf (bovine) serum & fetal bovine serum (cow blood is a transmitter of BSE)
- Betapropiolactone
- Formaldehyde – 'preservative & disinfectant' known carcinogen, chronic bronchitis, eye irritation
- Formalin
- Gelatin
- Glycerol
- Human diploid cells human aborted fetal tissue
- Hydrolyzed gelatin
- Monosodium glutamate (MSG) – known carcinogen
- Neomycin (antibiotic)
- Neomycin sulfate (antibiotic)
- Phenol red attributed to liver, kidney, heart & respiratory damage
- Phenoxyethanol (antifreeze) – extreme neurotoxic side effects
- Potassium diphosphate
- Potassium monophosphate
- Polymyxin B
- Polysorbate 20
- Polysorbate 80
- Residual MRC5 proteins
- Sorbitol
- Sucrose
- Thimerosal (mercury) – a neurotoxin linked to psychological, neurological & immunological problems. Nervous system damage, kidney disease, birth defects, dental problems, mood swings, mental changes, hallucinations, memory loss, nerve damage, inability to concentrate, Autism. Symptoms: tremors, loss of dermal sensitivity, slurred speech, paralysis, death.
- Tributylphosphate
- VERO cells, a continuous line of monkey kidney cells
- Washed sheep red blood cells

The FDA tells people not to eat certain fish and shellfish due to mercury contamination, yet the public has been told the H1N1 vaccine is "No more harmful than a tuna fish sandwich"?

http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodSafety/Product-SpecificInformation/Seafood/FoodbornePathogensContaminants/Methylmercury/ucm115644.htm

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=23a_1257107005

[Jimmy-do-2]

You show me a physician who says a virus can be cured and I'll show you a physician who is a quack.

MEDICAL FACT: NO VIRUS CAN BE CURED.

MEDICAL FACT: EVEN IF YOU'RE VACCINATED, THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO GUARANTEE YOU WILL NOT CONTRACT H1N1 ANYWAY.

Some ingredients in the H1N1shot:
- Aluminum hydroxide – directly linked to Alzheimer’s
- Aluminum phosphate – directly linked to Alzheimer’s
- Ammonium sulfate – known to cause kidney & liver damage, gastrointestinal dysfunctions
- Amphotericin B – 'antifungal disinfectant' and antibiotic, damages the urinary tract, bowels, and heart functions

See Part II.

[maxwells]

Lots of people who make their critical decisions based on innate bias rather than best available evidence and reason seem to do OK. Perhaps that's due to dumb luck or a compensating ability to think critically in other areas - probably some combo.

But, regardless of who's right or wrong, it seems that the H1N1a issue is another inescapably Darwinian test, where some who make the wrong choice will simply stop contributing to the gene pool, having been permanently consigned to the category, "too functionally stupid to survive".

[Popaluma]

As for H1N1 flu's not being fatal, ask those who've already died from it.

If trying to stop this thing in its tracks isn't necessary, why did the Australian government provide free vaccinations for every man, woman and child in the country? Nor are they pandering to big Pharma as the government sets the price for drugs in this country and pays for most of them.

Rightly or wrongly, H1N1 is seen as not only a serious health threat, but a threat to the economy. As one of the very few countries which escaped the GFC recession, it's in the national interest for us to maintain optimum health levels and not falter now.

I had my shot three weeks ago, as has everyone I know. None of us has had any side-effects.

[amyhasopinions]

I wasn't eligible for the H1N1 this round, but my 12 month old daughter got her 1st half and she's fine. We go for the 2nd half in a few weeks. She also got her seasonal flu shot and then a week later her well baby shots. She's absolutely fine--happy, silly, and healthy as usual.

I must say I've spent a lot of time reading and researching, talking to our pediatrician, etc because of all the hysteria that's out there about vaccinatio­ns...but I really am starting to think it's just that: hysteria. I don't want to tell someone else what to do with their body, but I do resent when some of them try to scare me into doing what they're doing (to their bodies). Let me do what I need to do for myself and my family--shut up and sit down.

Though I'd still like a big (unbiased, un-influenced by Pharmaceutical America) research study done on vaccinations, if for nothing else to stop most of the hysteria (not all of it will stop....th­ere will always be people who love conspiracy theories and scaring other people).

[maxwells]

Some commenters claim that data from the southern hemisphere (where the regular flu season is already over) shows that H1N1 complications and spread rate are actually lower than for regular flu. Thus, your comment makes me wonder how much Australia's mitigation policies, if effective, have skewed such data to make that claim look better than it really is.

[StacyJ]

Anyone thinking about getting the swine flu vaccine should watch this first. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0JqQyl09zQ

[maxwells]

Are you trying to say that those getting the H1N1a vaccine will all die, that vaccines should be fully tested before dissemination, that vaccines are riskier than getting seriously ill from H1N1a, or that one should decide how to proceed on the basis of a careful assessment of countervailing risks?

[StacyJ]

All I said was to watch the doctor in the video...sh­e's fascinating . She's not recommending the vaccine and she seems to have 100 reasons for that. The video is the first of 6. It takes an hour to watch all of them. I watched it last night for the first time.

[LolaP]

This is a good link on how Asafoetida kills the swine flu virus:
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-09/acs-ot090909.php

[LolaP]

Eat lots of asafoetida - used a lot in indian cooking:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Asafoetida-could-fight-swine-flu-say-Chinese-scientists/articleshow/4996180.cms

[juanbobo]

Duct tape! Gotta have duct tape!

[quidam56]

I’ve tried for over five long years now to get answers concerning hospital infection being spread into our communities; health care, health departments, health regulators and politicians are really good at giving you an excuse, pointing you in a different direction or no reply at all, which is a good thing because when you have a concern for the health of your community, children and innocent people who are dying because no one will do anything, there is no responsibility, just more statistics . I have asked about every board and agency, politicial official and myself – how many more innocent people and children have to die before getting an answer to a question asked in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 ? How many more deaths could have been prevented ? http://www.wisecountyissues.com/?p=62 As a former embalmer and witnessing the AIDS epidemic three decades ago I can tell you we have to begin today to stop MRSA from being a pandemic. The very health care system we trust, who advertise their quality health care that is true in some cases but I know what is on pubic record showing their actual “acceptable standards of your and your families health care”, which is nothing like any of their ads I’ve seen. Hospitals are breeding MRSA ( methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureaus ) and dumping it into our communites.

[Hillrick]

I've read that, despite reports of how easily infections are spread and how simple it is to help contain them in hospitals, that doctors are one of the worst groups for compliance.

[TrueCro]

Also, as another way to protect one's self aside from washing hands is using a Neti Pot. A Neti Pot looks like a tiny tea pot and is used for a nasal rinse. You mix salt and warm water to create a nasal rinse. Great for getting rid of Irritants and bacteria.

[Norm]

Gee, and I figured constant congestion was the best defense.

[Hillrick]

I've just heard the same as well as gargling with salt water. Supposed to rid the body of the virus while it is incubating. Said to have the same effect as taking tamiflu.

[CNYObamaFan]

I'm an RN. I would never let that woman give my kids a shot :P She's wearing no gloves, she's comming at it from a bad angle, she's holding the syringe wrong, she's giving the wrong sticking motion (it should be dart-like), and it looks like she can't see where she's swinging it.

[Hillrick]

Not sure but when we have a photo shoot with wood working equipment someone always remarks on teh lack of safety goggles. It's all done for the photo shoot and not the prescribed manner of working.