Sep 9, 2009 6:12 am US/Eastern
Swine Flu Survival Kits: Don't Believe The Hype
Expert: If They Don't Protect You 100 Percent Of The Time, What's The Point? Never Trust Anything From Overseas
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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An H1N1 strain of the swine flu virus, viewed through a microscope.
AP
Health experts say proper hand washing is the key to preventing and combating the spread of swine flu. But some are worried that's just not enough and they're buying more protection – from air purifiers to prescription medication.
Do you really need these products?
If you could buy something that would prevent the swine flu, how much would you pay?
CBS 2 HD asked New Yorkers recently and the answers ranged from $75 to well over $100.
"I don't know how much they are but I'd buy one," one person said.
Scroll the Internet these days and you'll find countless products calling themselves swine flu prevention, even survival kits, for as much as $175.
"$175 is a little high. I might just take my chances," one New Yorker said.
Some health experts said you may actually be better off just taking your chances.
"The products being sold are fairly expensive. They're not qualified to protect you in any way," said Dr. Dalilah Restrepo, an infectious disease expert at St. Luke's Roosevelt Hospital.
Restrepo doesn't suggest buying any pandemic kits. She doesn't even recommend a mask because it cannot protect you 100 percent of the time.
"At some point you're going to break that barrier and it's not going to work, so really it's more about proper hygiene," Restrepo said.
Restrepo also warns, never buy medication from a foreign pharmacy online. You have no way of knowing what you're going to receive.
"The kits are just expensive and maybe useless, but the medications are really harmful," Restrepo said.
CBS 2 HD came across one Web site advertising the drug "Tabiflu," so close to the real anti-viral medication "Tamiflu" that's effective in treating some swine flu strains.
"Really it boils down to very simple things we can do -- basic hand washing, staying away from people we already know are ill and staying home if you're sick," Restrepo said.
In June, the Food and Drug Administration ordered dozens of Web site operators selling everything from air purifiers and ultraviolet lights to stop making fraudulent claims about swine flu prevention and protection. They are continuing to pull sites selling fake swine flu treatments, but they pop up all the time.
For more information, check out our swine flu resource guide
here.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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