Swine Flu
General Information for the Public
Hand Hygiene
One of the key ways of combating any type of flu is to practice
good respiratory and hand hygiene such as:
- Covering your nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing, using a
tissue when possible
- Disposing of dirty tissues promptly and carefully
- Maintaining good basic hygiene, for example washing hands
frequently with soap and water to reduce the spread of the virus
from your hands to face or to other people
- Cleaning hard surfaces (eg door handles) frequently using a
normal cleaning product
- Making sure your children follow this advice
Face Masks
There is no conclusive evidence that facemasks protect healthy
people in their day-to-day lives – and if used incorrectly, masks
may even expose people to infection. The Health Protection Agency
does not recommend that healthy people wear facemasks to go about
their everyday business. The advice is that people should focus on
good hand hygiene, staying at home if you’re feeling unwell and
covering your mouth when you cough or sneeze. Covering the mouth
when coughing or sneezing, and regular hand-washing are better for
preventing transmission than wearing face masks.
Useful Information
Department of Health - Swine
Flu Leaflet (May 09)
National Pandemic Flu
Service
Swine Flu Audio
Swine Flu Leaflets in Multi-Language