Swinefluhasyettoescalateintoaglobalpandemic,buthere'swhattodoifitdoes 　　5WaystoProtectYourself(andOthers)fromSwineFlu 　　Expertssaythatthestepsyoushouldtaketoshieldyourselffromswinefluarenotmuchdifferentthanthoseyoumighttaketowardoffseasonalflu. 　　1.Don'ttouchyourface 　　Aboveall,keepyourhandsawayfromyoureyes,mouthandnose,allofwhichserveaspathwaysforthevirustoenteryourrespiratorytract,saysAllisonAiello,anepidemiologistattheUniversityofMichiganSchoolofPublicHealthinAnnArbor. 　　2.Washyourhands 　　Ifyoumusttouchyourface,scrubyourhands,gettingunderthefingernailsandinsideallcrevices,for20to30secondswithhotsoapandwaterbeforehand,Aiellosays."Inadditiontodislodgingdirtthatmaycontainvirusparticles,soapscontainsurfactants[theprimarycomponentsofdetergents]whichcandamagethelipid[fat]protectingvirusparticles,"sheexplains.Soapshouldthereforebeeffectiveagainstallfluviruses. 　　3.Useahandsanitizer 　　Nosinknearby?Thenuseanalcohol-basedhandsanitizer,Aielloadvises.Aboutaquarter-sizespot,rubbedalloverthehandsuntilthesanitizerevaporates(usually10to15seconds),shoulddoit.Alcoholcaninactivatevirusesbydestroyingthestructureoftheirproteins,shenotes. 　　4.Coveryournoseandmouth 　　Whensomeonesneezesorcoughs,liquiddropletspackingfluvirusescantravelasfarasthreefeet(onemeter)throughtheairanddescendonyournoseormouth,soit'sbesttomaintainatleastanarm's-lengthdistancewhentalkingtosomeonewhoshowssignsofinfection,saysLouiseDembry,directorofepidemiologyatYale–NewHavenHospitalinConnecticut.Andtoprotectothers,coveryourmouthandnosewithatissuewhenyoucoughorsneeze,andcleanyourhandsafterward,shesays,notingthatvirusescanremaininfectiousforhours,ifnotlonger,whentheylingerontheskinorothersurfacessuchaskeyboardsandsubwaypoles. 　　5.Considerbuyingamaskincaseyouneeditinthefuture 　　Frompressphotos,itseemsthatMexico'sentirepopulationhasdonnedsurgicalmasks,buttheverdictisstilloutonhoweffectivetheyareinstemmingthespreadofflu,accordingtoAiello.Someresearchsuggeststhatmasks—eitherthesurgicalvarietyorrespiratorscalledN95'sspeciallydesignedtofilteroutwaterdropletscontainingviruses—reducetheriskofcontractingthefluorotherrespiratorypathogensbyasmuchas80percent,butresearchbyAiello'steamsuggeststhatmasksdolittleunlessusedinconjunctionwithdiligenthandwashing. 　　AccordingtotheU.S.CentersforDiseaseControlandPrevention,thereis"extremelylimited"dataontheeffectivenessoffacemasksandrespiratorsforblockingfluspreadincommunities.Theagencysuggests,however,thatpeopleconsiderusingthemwhenit'simpossibletoavoid"crowdedsettingsorclosecontactwithothers"inareaswhereswineflutransmissionhasbeenconfirmed:facemasksforcrowdedplacesandrespiratorsforsituationsthatinvolveclosecontactwithpeoplewhohaverespiratoryinfections(caringforasickfamilymember,forexample).