Spreading facts, common sense instead of germs

The government public health experts have a lot of different flyers and other useful guides that help explain what really prevents the spread of swine flu or other infections, and hopefully debunks some of the alarmist or fake advice popping up seemingly everywhere.

Here are a few flyers that I think convey clear messages:

• Swine (H1N1) influenza and you - CDC
• San Francisco Dept. of Public Health - Is it a cold or the swine flu?
• Stopping the Spread of Flu Germs at Work - CDC

The federal government also has developed an outstanding central site for all of its swine/H1N1 flu information - pandemicflu.gov. Everything from clinical recommendations to video chats can be found there. Many local health departments have created flyers with specific information about local resources, such as procedures for getting tested for possible flu. Unfortunately, good information has been hard to find in the major media. Even publications or broadcasts that have had accurate and helpful content have been illustrating their coverage with alarming -- and in many cases, misleading -- images, such as reporters or others wearing surgical masks, which is at best a dubious measure of protection.