How to protect yourself against the flu

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - While we're waiting for more vaccine, can we protect ourselves?

Health care personnel who care for patients with flu wear masks, but for most of us, just staying away from someone with flu is just as good.

A cough or sneeze can spread the virus about six feet.

Dr. Thomas Russo said, "And if you're within six feet of that individual, it's possible that those droplets could get on your eyes, or they could get on your mouth or in your nose."

"If you keep that space clear of other people, the chances you're going to get influenza by the droplet route are very small," explained Dr. John Sellick.

If you're caring for someone at home, a mask might be useful.

Dr. Russo stated, "If you have to be close to that person, you could also consider, if available, wearing a surgical mask to protect yourself."

He said an ordinary surgical mask.

In September, the CDC recommended hospital personnel wear the N95 respirator masks.

Dr. Howard Faden exclaimed, "A lot of the recommendations were not based on science and that drove me crazy. No evidence for that at all."

The difference between these masks is the size of particles they can filter out, but when they were really compared, it didn't seem to matter.

Researchers studied 446 nurses who cared for flu patients during last year's flu season.

Half of them wore ordinary surgical masks and half wore the n95 respirators, and their rate of flu infection was essentially the same.

But there's only one real way to avoid the flu.

"Get your flu shot when it's available. That's the biggie," warned Dr. Sellick.