Originally Posted By: MDinana
Masks over the healthy do NOTHING. Viruses are small enough to pass through the pores. Since you need to touch the virus on a surface, or breath it in, just wash your hands.

I first read this last night and thought, "Wow, that's a rather provocative statement," so I slept on it.

It would be nice if I had been there to hear the entire context of the statement but that's not important. I do agree that hand washing is far more important to protect most of us from any flu bug than having a mask.

For average folks, better to stock up, carry, and frequently use hand sanitizer than stocking up on N95 masks if you're worried about the flu (among the other suggested steps, like cough etiquette).