With the H1N1 flu virus going around, and the seasonal flu on surely on its heels, what can we do to keep from getting sick – or getting others around us sick?

Wash your hands frequently, is generally the answer. Cough into your sleeve or a tissue instead of into the air or your hands. Get a H1N1 and a season flu shot. And wear a face mask.

Wear a face mask? Yes, said Dr. Faheem Younus, medical director for healthcare epidemiology and infection prevention at Upper Chesapeake Health in Bel Air and a clinical assistant professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. He wrote about the subject in The Sun on Oct. 1.

He argued that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data showed the masks reduce the spread of the flu in household settings. He says we should wear them at work if we have symptoms but won’t or can’t stay home. (Many Americans have no sick leave.)

"While you may have seen coworkers standing beside you hacking away and spreading germs, when was the last time you saw a colleague wearing a face mask to work because he or she had a fever or cough?" he wrote. "Studies show that 76 percent of the population used face masks in Hong Kong during the SARS scare in 2003, which helped to reduce the number of respiratory infections."

He suggests the CDC tweet and use other methods to remove the stigma of wearing a mask, and authorities should distribute them.

The CDC doesn’t seem ready to recommend face masks, however. Authorities say face masks and N95 particulate respirators – the dense and tight fitting face masks that construction workers tend to wear – are appropriate for health care workers. They don’t seem sure about other work places. They say there hasn’t been enough research done on their effectiveness. Here's the CDC guidance.

So, would you wear a mask to protect yourself at work or home from others who are sick? Would you wear a mask if you had symptoms?

Photo courtesy of the CDC