The use of proven effective medical masks to protect the community against outbreaks of infectious diseases, such as bird flu and swine flu.

The results of the research team University of New South Wales (UNSW) Australia for more than 280 adults from 143 families in Sydney during the winter of 2006 and 2007 this proves it.

Report the results of clinical trials UNSW research team received from the AFP Liaison Officer UNSW, Steve Offner, mentions the use of medical masks are also the most inexpensive way to protect society against swine flu epidemic and bird flu vaccine stock at zero or very limited.

Mentioned, the results of clinical trials that prove the effectiveness of medical masks reduce the risk of transmission of various infectious diseases that are “the first scientific evidence” in the world.

Findings UNSW team is also believed to bring the global implications, especially for efforts to deal with the threat of pandemic flu, including the swine flu.

From reports research involving Disease Epidemiology Research Division infection UNSW School of Public Health, MacIntyre Prof.Raina is known that the use of medical masks shown to help protect health care workers.

Prof. test results. MacIntyre and his team work together with the Center for Disease Prevention and Control of Beijing to approximately two thousand health workers in more than 20 hospitals in China to show positive results.

Research funded by the Ministry of Health and Aging Australia also supported by a research team from Sydney’s Westmead Hospital, Imperial College London and the National Center for Immunization Research.

Swine flu virus that is now haunting the world community is reported to have killed at least 152 people in Mexico and spread to the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Spain, Israel, UK, Australia, Brazil, France, Chile, Danish, Swiss, Austria, Colombia, Germany , Norway, South Korea, and Guatemala.

“Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO) has stated that it was not more virulent than the common cold. But we still continue control efforts that have been done,” he said in Jakarta.

Previous WHO Director General Margaret Chan said that almost all patients who experience symptoms of influenza A (H1N1) could recover the total in one week without medical treatment even though.

Some countries with cases of influenza A (H1N1) tall including the United States, he said, was no longer apply special procedures to control the disease initially spread in Mexico it.

“They are eliminating temperature scanner, does not require that patients in the hospital and did not provide anti-viral drug oseltamivir in the case of mild infection,” he said.

Moreover, he added, influenza virus A (H1N1) in Danish, Japan, Hong Kong, and China reportedly was resistant to oseltamivir or commonly sold under the trademark of Tamiflu.

However, he re-asserted, the government continued efforts to control the disease of influenza A (H1N1) that these new distribution does not extend.

“Preparedness efforts to continue despite the considerable costs,” he said.

He said the government will continue to install the scanner body temperature in the international arrivals terminal and asks all passengers from affected countries to fill the health alert cards (allert health card) to prosecute those who allegedly infected with influenza virus A (H1N1).

Port Health Office (KKP), referral hospitals and health laboratory, he continued, also remain alert to anticipate the various possibilities that arise related to the disease transmission.

Society also advised to remain alert to the disease by adopting hygienic behavior and healthy, wearing a mask when he caught the flu, applied ethics as well as coughing and sneezing immediately went to the medical facility if his condition did not improve

Waterfowl such as ducks and a host of eternal for influenza A viruses, including H1N1 sub-type that is currently starting outbreaks in several countries and also has entered Indonesia.

“Poultry water reservoir can be regarded as eternal. This virus (influenza A) does not cause illness in birds, but after switching to a pig posing as mixing vessel (mixing medium), becomes more fierce,” said Dean of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Bogor Agricultural University ( IPB), Dr. drh. I Wayan Teguh Wibawan in Bogor.

In fact, he added, influenza A virus H1N1 sub-type does not all have the same degree of malignancy with H1N1 influenza virus previously known as swine flu.

In the case of swine flu, obviously Wayan, H1N1 viruses in pigs in the body using a genome of influenza A viruses from different species, in this case from poultry and humans, or called reasurtan process.

“There are two possibilities that occur, the virus becomes stronger or weaker it becomes depends on the genome that is taken in the reasurtan process,” he said.

Regarding preventive measures, Wayan said, measures to limit traffic pigs will not be efficient.

“It’s the most important thing to do is to avoid transmission from human to human,” he said.

Until now, he added, there are no reports of transmission of H1N1 viruses from pigs to humans. Fact that there is transmission from humans to pigs. ”

Wayan said that the current news about the swine flu was not proportional and balanced. Therefore, veterinarians have an important task in providing information about the disease so that people can understand proportionately.

According to him, the vet is currently faced with important issues about the provision of animal protein for the people, prevention of animal diseases, zoonotic disease control increasingly complex, enzootik disease resistance can come in and threaten the state.

While Rector of IPB, Dr. Ir. Herry Suhardiyanto, M. Sc say, the issue is a big challenge for the veterinarian in the whole world.

“Medical treatment of humans is important, but the handling of the source (animal) is not less important. Therefore, the role of veterinarians is very strategic, especially in veterinary public health, animal health and food safety,” he said.

Swine flu virus (swine flu) that has been making frantic world today is a mixture of eight genetically different influenza viruses, not the H1N1 flu virus genetic usual.

“There was a reassortment in flu viruses, where a new swine flu came from pigs that swine flu, bird flu and human flu,” said lung specialist Dr. Sita Andarini PhD, SpP after the Dialogue on pig flu lab Kyoai held in Jakarta.

Sita said the pigs on the farm always got the flu every year, for example, every late fall, but the swine flu virus is different from the H1N1 swine influenza virus is new.

“In the new swine flu virus this happened a combination of genes, so the virus changes into a new H1N1 virus gene,” he said.

Flu virus itself, he explained, many of his type. In the human flu virus H3N2, H3N1, H1N1, and H1N1 in pigs and H5N1 in birds.

He also reminded that the swine flu can occur not only in temperate regions, cold, or high latitudes, because the swine flu virus was living in the temperature optimum 37 degrees Celsius.

“Right now the spread of swine flu was heading precisely the tropics,” he said, asking the public aware of this.

To anticipate the possibility of exposed cases of swine flu, he asks, that people refuse contact with a person who had the flu, using special masks, wash hands, and resting at home when the flu.

Flu patients who suspect (suspected) swine flu, he said, is isolated for seven days after initial symptoms. After seven days and then declared cured no longer contagious and can be re-active.

However, until now swine flu vaccine as well as there is no bird flu has undergone a phase of clinical trials, while Tamiflu is an antiviral drug.

“The problem is difficult to design a vaccine and a vaccine is difficult to produce so much at the time a pandemic occurs when thousands of people already infected,” he said

Microbiologists from the University of Gadjah Mada (UGM) Yogyakarta, Prof.. Widya Asmara said, the virus causes swine flu H1N1 that is currently developed and caused outbreaks in Mexico, is a new virus.

“The virus then was called the H1N1 virus, but actually the result of genetic mixing of several influenza viruses,” he said.

He said, before H1N1 virus is endemic in swine and human populations, but the impact is not as fierce as the H1N1 virus currently developing.

“The virus is known as the classical H1N1 viruses, and common influenza-like symptoms, but after six days of direct patient usually recovers,” said Professor of Microbiology Faculty of Public Health (FKM) the UGM.

Meanwhile, he said, the virus H1N1 that is currently developing into a new virus outbreak, although not entirely new for the combined results of the genetic variety of viruses, including influenza virus American, Eurasian influenza virus, and avian influenza viruses.

According to him, H1N1 virus that causes swine flu epidemic in pigs was not, but instead become an epidemic in humans.

“Because, as happened in Mexico, an outbreak of swine flu appeared without prior similar outbreaks that plague pig farm there,” he said.

In other words, an outbreak of the virus were not found in pig farms, so until now the presence of pigs on the farm do not need to worry about, especially in Indonesia, he added.

He said that it has the potential swine flu spread through human big, so to watch out for is people who contracted the virus.

“If there are people who are infected, can potentially spread it to other humans, or pass it on pigs,” he said.

If pigs are infected, the virus may spread even greater, as in the case of bird flu.

“Because, the action taken when it was too late,” he said.

Therefore, he warned, the government should endeavor to prevent the entry of swine flu virus to Indonesia and stay alert even though the virus has not yet entered.

In addition, the community (consumed higher pork, red) should also be given the understanding that the pigs in Indonesia is still feasible consumption because the virus is not H1N1.

“What’s more, Indonesia is also not import pork from abroad, but even other countries exporting pork, such as to Singapore,” he said.