Here is information from my friend Sheryl Roush--the one who brought us all together to write the "Heart of a Woman in Business" book.  Here she tells how to avoid the "Swine Flu."  Incidentally, I first read about the "stay away from crowds" part in the newspaper, as I was squashed in seat 37D on the flight home from Istanbul. A city of 15 million people. I'm just wondering how much Vitamin C I should be taking at this point.

Here is Sheryl's message:  "With this pandemic at hand, and my being a professional speaker... I asked my brother, a Professor of Entomology from Cornell University, and now a Dean in Australia, for his advice.

'Cold and flu viruses are commonly transmitted from hands into eyes when you rub your eyes, which is how they enter the body.

I try to touch my eyes, which everyone does at least sometime to clear dirt or whatever, only with my left hand, shaking hands with my right.

However, really infectious flu strains are also transmitted in the air over short distances, in water droplets when people cough or sneeze. Hence the risk on planes and why some people wear dust masks on the street.

Staying away from crowds when you can is still a good idea, in reducing exposure. That’s why public events are being canceled in Mexico, and why I would encourage people to cut back on going out in public until this blows over.' 

Richard T. Roush, Ph.D.

Dean of Plant & Food Resources

Melbourne School of Land and Environment

University of Melbourne