Physical Protection starts with prevention. Most basically, we encourage people to wash their hands to prevent viruses from adhering to the human body and the objects around us. Infected people should be encouraged to stay home from work to reduce opportunities for infection, and the “2-meter rule” should be enforced to keep viruses at bay by maintaining a physical distance between people. Proper etiquette for coughing and sneezing and proper disposal of waste materials will help people from catching or spreading viruses. Physical separation from sources of infection (via masks and protective clothing that block the routes by which viruses make inroads) and disinfecting objects present along the route of contact infection are also important. The concrete measures at this level can be taken by the individual.

If we imagine viruses suspended in the air when someone coughs or sneezes, then Ambient Protection has as their objective reducing the amount of viruses that we breathe in from the air. At this level, the object is to disinfect that air in living spaces, homes, transportation vehicles, and workplaces where adequate ventilation is impossible. With the goal of maintaining humidity at 50% RH or over and room temperature at 20ºC or higher, where viral activity is reduced, we provide methods for disinfecting air with chlorine dioxide gas (See Note 1) that are geared to the specific application and site, and we provide thoroughgoing guidance on how to prepare for and implement these measures. The concrete measures at this level are taken by groups such as households or corporations.

(Note 1) J Gen Virol 89, 60-67 (2008): In an aerosol infection experiment using mouse influenza A virus, it was confirmed that chlorine dioxide gas at 1/3 the level of the labor safety standard for human exposure or less prevented the mice from dying of infections and reduced the activity of hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA).

The purposes of Biological Protection are to inhibit the invasion of the body by influenza viruses, as well as the proliferation of viruses within the body. The most basic Internal Defenses that individuals can practice are gargling and regular flu vaccinations. Against the new types of influenza like H1N1, where there is fear of pandemics, we have devised the following measures.
Pre-pandemic vaccines and pandemic vaccines can be used to inhibit the invasion of the body’s cells by viruses by suppressing the activity of hemagglutinin (HA), a protein present on the surfaces of influenza viruses. The anti-influenza antiviral drugs Zanamivir and Oseltamivir can be used to suppress the spread and proliferation of the virus within the body by inhibiting the activity of viral neuraminidase (NA).
Pre-pandemic vaccines, pandemic vaccines, and the anti-influenza drugs used under early treatment strategy guidelines must all be prophylactically administered in accordance with the instructions of the competent administrative offices and agencies.