While you are still healthy and not showing any symptoms of H1N1 infection, in order to prevent proliferation, aggravation of symptoms and development of secondary infections, below are some very simple steps that are not fully highlighted in most official communications:

"Frequent hand-washing."

"Hands-off-the-face" approach. Resist all temptations to touch any part of your face (unless you want to eat or bathe).

"Gargle twice a day with warm salt water" (use Listerine if you don't trust salt).. H1N1 takes 2-3 days after initial infection in the throat/nasal cavity to proliferate and show characteristic symptoms. Simple gargling prevents proliferation. In a way, gargling with salt water has the same effect on a healthy individual that Tamiflu has on an infected one. Don't under-estimate this simple, inexpensive and powerful preventative method.

"Clean your nostrils at least once every day with warm salt water." Not everybody may be good at Jala Neti or Sutra Neti (very good Yoga asanas to clean nasal cavities), but blowing the nose hard once a day and swabbing both nostrils with cotton buds dipped in warm salt water is very effective in bringing down viral population.

"Boost your natural immunity with foods that are rich in Vitamin C." If you have to, supplement with Vitamin C tablets and make sure that it also has Zinc to boost absorption.

"Drink as much warm liquids as you can." Drinking warm liquids has the same effect as gargling, but in the reverse direction. They wash off proliferating viruses from the throat into the stomach where they cannot survive, proliferate or do any harm.

All of these are simple ways to prevent, within the means of most households, and certainly much less painful than to wait in long queues outside public hospitals.