CDC: Practical precautions can help avoid flu

[April 27, 2009]  WASHINGTON (AP) -- The acting head of the Centers for Disease Control says people can best protect themselves against the swine flu threat by taking precautions they were taught as kids, like frequently washing their hands.

Richard Besser also said Monday the U.S. government is being "extremely aggressive" in the steps it has taken, or is considering, to protect the American public. But he said that in the meantime, the best response is to do "the things we learned when we were little," like covering one's mouth when coughing and staying home with a fever.

Besser said he didn't think he would personally recommend traveling to parts of Mexico where the new virus has taken hold, but also said no travel ban has been decided upon by federal authorities.

[Associated Press]

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