Can You Avoid the H1N1 Virus? Here's How to Avoid Swine Flu

What do you need to do for your family to avoid the H1N1 virus? This article was written to remind you of the simple steps you can take to limit your exposure, thus helping you avoid the swine flu in yourself and your family members.

The simple habit of hand washing is your most effective defense against contracting the virus. Use hot water and soap and wash up to your elbows. Be particularly aware of doing this this right after you have been in a situation that may have exposed you to the virus - such as being in a public place where you had to touch things. If you can't use soap and water, carry an antibacterial hand sanitizer with you - and use it.

Each day in a public building there may be thousands of people going in or out through a single door. Everyone of those people touches the same two doorknobs! Many of them might be carrying the H1N1 virus. So doorknobs are high on your list of places that can make you sick if you don't take precautions.

Here are some other public areas that can be trouble spots: When you grocery shop remember that your hands are on the same shopping cart handle that hundreds of others have touched. When you eat a meal at your favorite diner you're handling the same salt and pepper shakers, the same catsup bottle, and the same menu as everyone who was there before you.

Ever thought about how many sick people have handled the magazines in the waiting room at your doctor's office? If you are going to the doctor, bring your own reading material. If carrying around magazines is too bulky, bring a pocket book, or try a Kindle.

Take a look in your kitchen. If you have been using a sponge and then letting it sit on the side of the sink, chances are it has upwards of 20,000,000 microbes on it! To kill them, place it in your microwave oven and turn it on for 60 seconds. You can also run it through the full diswasher cycle. According to the US Dept of Agriculture, merely using a bleach solution will not sterilize it. Are you wiping your dishes or counters with an infected sponge?

Another danger spot is in your office - either at work or home. If you do not regularly wipe down your computer keyboard (and mouse) with a disinfectant wipe, chances are it is crawling with over 21,000 germs per square inch. When you consider that a typical "clean" toilet has about 41 germs over the same surface area, it really makes you think!

You should also watch out for the remote control for your television set, or other electronic devices. Commonly used telephones may be crawling with germs and viruses, as might be the steering wheel in your family car, or the hand strap you use on your daily subway or bus ride to and from work.

Since you want to your family to avoid swine flu, keep in mind these simple solutions: Don't touch places other people touch. If you touch places other people touch, wash your hands or use a disinfectant wipe immediately afterwards. Even though this is not new information, being diligent in following it will help you and your family avoid the H1N1 virus.

Is the H1N1 virus a real danger to you and your family? You can learn just how real the threat is, and how to avoid swine flu, in a free 54 page book entitled: "Surviving Pandemic Flu."

This book explains, in layman's terms, the actual dangers to you and your family and the many steps you can take to protect your loved ones.