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PLATTSBURGH — Prevention remains a top priority in the fight against spreading the H1N1 and seasonal viruses.

Health-care providers are identifying several steps the public can take to prevent the spread of swine flu and alleviate the need to seek medical help when the flu strikes.

"H1N1 is a new virus, and that's why people are so susceptible," Clinton County Health Director of Preventive Services Nancy Smith said during a flu-fact presentation Thursday evening.

Swine flu is very contagious, she added, but has not caused major health concerns for otherwise healthy people. It has proven extremely dangerous for those in the high-risk categories, however, emphasizing the need to protect those people as best as possible.

The swine-flu bug seems to be more of a target for people under 24 while the seasonal flu is traditionally harder on senior citizens.

"It takes two to tango," Smith said of the influenza's ability to jump from person to person. "We need to target (preventive measures for) the one who has it and the one who is susceptible to it."

Flu virus is spread through the air in contaminated droplets when a person coughs or sneezes and from touching surfaces that have been contaminated by an infected person.

Keeping safe distances between people can help eliminate the first, and keeping hands away from the eyes, nose and mouth can reduce the second possibility, Smith noted, adding that the skin itself prevents flu virus from entering the body through fingers and such.

"You need to protect that 'T-zone,'" she said of the eyes, nose and mouth.

Washing hands with soap and water, avoiding contact with such things as public water fountains and even the pen at cash registers in stores, and cleaning surface areas where a lot of contact occurs can also help reduce the chances of catching flu.

Keeping those who already have the bug away from healthy people is also important, she added. At home, children or other family members should remain in one room while they are ill, and only one family member should regularly provide them with food, water and other needs.

Also, health officials stress the need for sick people to stay home, and if they do need to go somewhere for such needs as medications, they should avoid other people as much as possible and even wear masks to prevent the bug from spreading.

Smith also reviewed the fact that doctors are not specifically testing for the flu at this time unless there is a special concern. Testing is usually done to determine if the flu virus is in a community, and swine flu has clearly been identified just about everywhere.

People do not always have to go to see their doctors when they become sick, she added. A simple call to a health-care provider can help determine whether a person has special needs that should be addressed or if the person will do better just to rest at home, she explained.

Raising an apple for emphasis, she also said that people need to eat well to keep their immune systems strong and bodies healthy.

E-mail Jeff Meyers at: jmeyers@pressrepublican.com