Birdflu Mailing List: "limited human-to-human transmission" > time to train congregants?

[William Weir (weirwilliam]

WHO reports four bird flu cases in Pakistan with 50% mortality (which is 
typical) and, most importantly, "human-to-human transmission"  which, though 
limited, means that the new H5N1 strain, to which almost no one in the world is 
immune, has, probably by re-assortment in a host, developed the requisite 
transmissability for a pandemic.  While we hope that transmission of this 
version of the strain has been stopped, we should not be surprised if it 
happens again soon and may be less successfully limited to a small number of 
persons.

Here is the URL for the report:
http://www.who.int/csr/don/2008_04_03/en/index.html<http://www.who.int/csr/don/2008_04_03/en/index.html>

It may be time to begin more efforts to teach and encourage people in our 
congregations to adopt life-saving infection-avoiding habits.

My current list of habits being developed are these:   
1> hand-cleansing (Mayo Clinic study leads me to favor more alcohol-based 
cleaners, such as Purell, being readily available and recommended for use as 
congregants approach any food or contact with others,
2> cough/sneeze containment with tissues immediately discarded and, if none 
available, coughing/sneezing snug into clothing at elbow instead of into hand.
3> becoming aware of when to wear a respirator such as the N-95 type house 
spray painters wear, to reduce exposure to virus-carrying droplets that others 
have exhaled or, if one has an upper respiratory infection, wearing a surgeons 
mask to catch more of the droplets being exhaled so as to reduce the risk of 
infecting others.
4> becoming aware of increased risk of exposure, e.g. airline travel, and the 
steps to reduce transmission to others in the 24-48 hours before the first 
symptoms of flu occur
5> becoming better able to recognize symptoms of flu (FACTS)
6> becoming better at social distancing, greeting without shaking hands, etc.

What amendment to the above would you suggest?
What ways of teaching and encouraging others would you suggest?

Bill 
Chair, Emergency Preparedness, First Unitarian Society of Mpls.