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One of the most effective ways to prevent SARS is thorough and frequent hand-washing. This minimizes the spread of the virus from surfaces that manyor infected-- people touch. Use a mild soap and hot water and wash your hands in warm water for at least 20 seconds. Use a hand sanitizer of at least 60% alcohol if soap and water are not available. Make sure to wash your hands even after you've taken off disposable gloves. If there is a chance that you may come into contact with someone who has SARS, or their body fluids or feces, wear disposable gloves. This can help ensure that you don't accidentally infect yourself. You can use surgical-type gloves to prevent contamination. Make sure to check for any rips or punctures before you put on the gloves. Dispose of the gloves after each use in a lined wastebasket. Never wash or reuse gloves. You can get disposable gloves at many pharmacies and most medical supply stores. Typically, a person with SARS will be hospitalized and isolated, with no visitors allowed except for the few hospital staff caring for them. If you are in the same room as a person with SARS, wear a surgical mask. This can help minimize your risk of inhaling the virus. There is some evidence that in addition to wearing a surgical mask, wearing glasses may also a certain amount of protection against SARS. You may want to purchase an N95 particulate respirator as your surgical mask. Although there is varying information on the type of surgical mask with which you can protect yourself from respiratory viruses, the N95 is specifically designed to protect against large droplets and smaller respiratory particles. Put the mask in front of your mouth and nose. Secure the mask to your face with the pointer finger and thumb of your dominant hand. Push the mask on to your face until you are sure there is no space between your face and the mask. Pull the garter than ensures your mask will stay on your face. This should be found on the top of the mask. Stretch the garter over your head and secure it on the back of your head. You can purchase surgical masks at many pharmacies and most medical supply stores. It's vital to wash any personal items shared with SARS patients. From utensils to bedding and clothing, making sure these items are properly washed can help minimize the risk of contracting the disease. You should not share clothing, towels, or bedding with a SARS patient. However, wash any laundry in a washing machine with warm or hot water and detergent. You can also consider adding some bleach to the load. Make sure to wear gloves when handling any soiled garments. You should not share eating utensils with an infected person, but you also don't need to separate utensils for use by the patient. You can wash any dishes and eating utensils the infected person has used in a dishwasher or by hand with soap and hot water. It may help to separate infected waste into a separate bag or container from your wastebasket. You can then close the bag with the infected waste and place it in your regular wastebasket. This measure can help ensure that animals, small children, or other people don't accidentally come in contact with infected waste. The SARS virus spreads easily in places such as bathrooms or on kitchen surfaces. Cleaning and disinfecting these spaces frequently may help prevent spreading the virus. Any surface touched by an infected personsuch as the toilet or bathroom sinkshould be cleaned and disinfected as often as possible, even after each use if possible. You can use anti-septic or anti-bacterial cleansers or a bleach mixture to disinfect surfaces. Make sure to wear gloves when you clean and throw them away after use. If a person in your home is infected with SARS, they will require isolation for at least 10 days. During this period, limit the number of people in your home as much as possible. This can minimize the risk of any family getting the virus or transmitting to the outside world. Patients should only leave the home for routine medical treatment. You may also want to separate the person from family members as much as possible. You can ask friends or family members to host for any person who has no symptoms of SARS if possible.
Clean your hands frequently. Put on disposable gloves. Cover your nose and mouth with a surgical mask. Wash shared personal items. Bag infected waste separately. Disinfect shared surfaces and spaces often. Limit the number of persons in the household.