Wearing a face mask when near people with the flu would seriously help them

Bird flu experts in Australia say that possibly the most effective remedy to beat the deadly virus is not Tamiflu and other flu medications but by the simple act of washing your hands at regular intervals and wearing a face mask. One of the experts Professor Chris Del Mar based at Bond University on Australia’s Gold Coast said that the simple acts could be more effective then all of the world’s stockpiles of antiviral drugs put together.

The study that included researchers from the United Kingdom, America and Italy was recently published by the British Medical Journal and advises a strategy which is completely opposite to most governments who have been busy stocking up on Tamiflu and other antiviral medications. The study also said that the simple physical actions must be given a more prominent part to play in beating the bird flu virus. They said that people should be educated that washing their hands and wearing a face mask when near people with the flu would seriously help them to avoid contracting the virus.

The experts came to that conclusion by looking at over 50 other studies that have already been published which examined the way that flu viruses are transmitted between animals and humans and between humans and humans. They also studied different methods of containing the flu such as quarantine, isolation and different methods of hygiene.  They came to the conclusion that statistically by washing your hands and wearing a face mask you are more likely to come out of a bird flu pandemic healthy than if you relied on Tamiflu or other antiviral drugs alone.

The news comes as the British government recently announced that it was going to double the amount of Tamiflu that it would stockpile to be used in the event of a bird flu pandemic in the United Kingdom.