Protecting Ourselves

Every day steps to protect ourselves

• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread this way.
• Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
• If you are sick with flu-like illness, stay at home atleast for 24hrs after fever is gone except to get medical care or for other necessities.Keep away from others as much as possible to keep from making others sick.
• Also important is eating right, sleeping well, exercising regularly and leading a stress free life.
• Be prepared in case you get sick and need to stay home for a week or so; a supply of over-the-counter medicines, alcohol-based hand rubs,* tissues and other related items could be useful and help avoid the need to make trips out in public while you are sick and contagious.

Precautions to be taken while coughing/sneezing while sick
Keep away from others as much as possible. Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. Put your used tissue in the waste basket. Then, clean your hands, and do so every time you cough or sneeze.

Washing hands to avoid getting flu

Washing your hands often will help protect you from germs. Wash with soap and water or clean with alcohol-based hand cleaner*.Wash your hands with soap and water for 15 to 20 seconds. When soap and water are not available, alcohol-based disposable hand wipes or gel sanitizers may be used.


What steps can government take at community level to prevent spread?
1. Isolation and treatment (as appropriate) with influenza antiviral medications of all persons with confirmed or probable pandemic influenza. Isolation can be in hospitals or even at homes.
2. Consideration of combining this intervention with the prophylactic use of antiviral medications, providing sufficient quantities of effective medications exist and that a feasible means of distributing them is in place.

3. Dismissal of students from school and school-based activities .
4. Use of social distancing measures to reduce contact between adults in the community and workplace, including, for example, cancellation of large public gatherings.
All such community-based strategies should be used in combination with individual infection control measures, such as hand washing and cough etiquette.