Worried about swine flu? You're not alone. Americans are all a bit paranoid about catching H1N1 swine flu, and for good reason. The swine flu is a potentially deadly virus. Hundreds of people in Mexico have died after contracting the virus, and now it's sweeping across the U.S. like wildfire. In fact, a report from the White House estimates that swine flu may affect as many as 40% of Americans in the coming year. But don't panic just yet. Swine flu can be avoided if you follow a few precautionary steps.
Get the swine flu vaccine - if you're a pregnant mother, a health care worker or provide care to children younger than 6 months, you are strongly encouraged to get a swine flu vaccine. The vaccine is due out in October.
Wash your hands frequently - scrub vigorously for at least 20 seconds with warm water and soap. If you can't find a sink, an alcohol-based hand sanitizer is a good substitute.
Give your immune system a shot in the arm - proper nutrition (you know, fruits and vegetables?) is the best way to boost your body's natural defenses. Load up on vitamins and minerals and keep swine flu at bay.
Avoid people who are sick - if someone is sick, steer clear. Don't use a water fountain after them, don't let them borrow your pen and definitely don't get stuck in an elevator with them.
Keep your workspace clean - with dozens of co-workers shuffling about, your workspace could be filled with millions of harmful germs, so make an effort to disinfect your cubicle as often as possible. Bring a can of Lysol to work and spray like there's no tomorrow.
If you do come down with swine flu, do the world a favor and stay home (it's a darn good excuse to get a day off). Just because CNN's Sanjay Gupta survived it doesn't mean we'll all be so lucky. Your community will thank you.