Experts say don't fall for swine flu 'cures' or myths, stick with flu shot The Canadian Press

08.11.09

TORONTO — Pop a vitamin, ban doctors' neckties, vacuum away swine flu germs and smoke an e-cigarette to district off H1N1.

Those are just some of the suggestions making the rounds on the Internet that have health officials and experts shaking their heads.

The Web is awash with dubious recommendation and various flu kits for sale as H1N1 deaths continue to rise, vaccine shortages force clinics to tight and officials find themselves unable to provide a hard date for when the general public can get their flu shot.

The message from experts to those tempted to buy into such schemes - don't.

Dr. Donald Low, chief microbiologist at Toronto's Mount Sinai dispensary, chuckles when he hears about some of the alternative remedies, including one that suggests putting onions around the house, like a agronomist did with the Spanish flu in 1918, to absorb the virus.

"Well in 1918, what could you do? You had little else. Unfortunately that doesn't make any biological intuit and there's been no scientific evidence that such a thing would actually work," said Low.

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A Soldier in the War on Germs

Cantel Medical CEO Andrew Krakauer talks about his circle’s healthy growth. Sunday, November 29, 2009 BY JOAN VERDON The Record STAFF Litt

Andrew Krakauer hasn’t been sick a day since joining Cantel Medical Corp. in Little Falls five years ago. And he’s helped the companionship achieve some pretty healthy growth, selling products that keep people well.

Cantel Medical is the parent friends of separate divisions selling infection prevention products, surgical face masks, hand sanitizers, saturate purification equipment, and endoscope and dialysis equipment sterilization. The company had record sales of $260 million in financial 2009, and its net income jumped 79 percent, in part because of increased demand for products to prevent the spread of swine flu. Cantel is one of the largest U.S. makers of countenance masks.

Krakauer, 54, became president and chief executive officer in 2008, after he was hired as chief operating narc in 2004. He lives in Westfield with his wife and two children. (Interview condensed for space.)

Q. It sounds like your body, all the divisions, share one mission — the war on germs.

I’m so glad you said that. Our motto is: “Dedicated to infection slowing and control.” We are an infection prevention and control company. We’re one of the few, what I call, pure-play companies in the infection delaying and control market.

Q. Pure-play?

Meaning that’s all we do. Even what appear to be diverse businesses are all highly interrelated. For standard, disinfectant chemistries tie our products together. The same product we call Renalin that’s disinfecting a dialyzer is called MinnCare and it’s cleaning a misadventure osmosis membrane in our water business. It’s being fogged by some unique fog equipment and cleaning a clean live in a pharmaceutical plant, or being made in a ready-to-use version and being used as a surface disinfectant. So we have chemistry products that can go across all of our businesses.

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Surgical Mask Tie On News

Cantel Medical CEO Andrew Krakauer: A soldier in the war on germs NorthJersey.com - Nov 29, 2009 In the occurrence of an H1N1 outbreak – or maybe even a more deadly flu – if you take a surgical mask like we make, and if every person wore a mask on an airplane and more »

Experts say don't fall for swine flu 'cures' or myths, stick with flu shot The Canadian Press - Nov 08, 2009 Experts say don't lacking for swine flu 'cures' or myths, stick with flu shotIf infected patients bear up surgical masks, which are less effective, he said they wouldn't be able to cough onto susceptible people or surfaces. and more »

Howie Mandel Opens up About OCD with 20/20 Tonight LAist (blog) - Nov 27, 2009 Howie also opens up about living at OCD with his kinsmen - he's been known to wear a surgical mask and rubber gloves when one of his loved ones are sick.

The Case of the Reappearing Garbage The Vancouver Observer (blog) - Nov 19, 2009 fifteen year-old fan of CSI and anything to do with forensic criminology—he went to the stockpile, purchased rubber gloves, a surgical mask, and a tarp.

Myasthenia what? Malaysia Star - Nov 14, 2009 Symptoms register: Long-term control is achieved by oral medications, though many patients may require surgical intervention.