The recent news on Swine Flu is actually not surprising. With modern transportation and people moving globally in just a few hours the virus can be around globe before symptoms even appears. Know how the virus is transmitted and how you can protect yourself.
Travel and High Density Population Make Virus Transmission Fast and Easy

With people’s increased ability to travel and more areas of high population density viruses such as swine flu move quickly. In just a few days the virus can be around globe before symptoms even appear. In this case within a week a local flu epidemic in Mexico spread to several states and as far away as Scotland.

Flu spreads through contact with droplets from the nose and throat of an infected individual during coughing and sneezing. Symptoms can take anywhere between 18 and up to 72 hours to be evident. So individuals carrying the flu virus may not even know they are a carrier and be infecting other people.

Simple Actions to Prevent Contracting and Spreading Flu

The flu virus frequently is transmitted through the air, by coughing and by direct contact, such as shaking hands or kissing. This is why practicing good hygiene, such as covering your mouth when you cough and washing your hands frequently, can help you to avoid getting the flu or spreading it to others.

Using flu masks and using alcohol-based hand sanitizers can possibly stop the spread of flu symptoms. In one study it was shown that using flu masks dropped the transmission rate by 50%.* Also, if you are planning on traveling by air, having one available might be a good idea.

Leave a Reply