CEDAR FALLS - Students returning to St. Patrick Catholic School in Cedar Falls this fall found a new addition to their classrooms - swine flu kits.

The purple plastic carriers, stocked with tissues, hand sanitizer and antibacterial wipes, were donated by parents.

"We want healthy students here, and teachers," said Sister Marilou Irons, the school's principal. "We've always taught our kids to wash their hands and cough into their sleeve if they don't have a Kleenex, but this year we're going a step further."

Students routinely review hygiene habits, and at the end of each week teachers use cleansing cloths to disinfect classroom surfaces. With experts predicting a pandemic of the swine flu - or H1N1 virus - school staff members, along with health-conscious individuals across the Cedar Valley, are taking a closer look at what they can do to prevent infection.

Covering your cough, washing your hands and disinfecting commonly used objects, such as door knobs or computer keyboards, can help keep the virus at bay, said Toni Pint-Burke, director of Allen Hospital's Occupational Health division. Tissues and hand sanitizer also should be readily available, she added.

"These are some very simple, basic practices that we all need to be reminded to apply and we need to remind our children to apply," Pint-Burke said. "These are things that we can do to keep us all healthy."

The H1N1 virus was first detected in the U.S. in April. Through July, states reported a total of 43,771 confirmed and probable cases of the infection. Of those patients, 5,011 were hospitalized and 302 died.

Health care officials are preparing for an increase in cases heading into the fall and winter seasons. Roughly 200,000 doses of the recently developed swine flu vaccine should arrive in the state by mid-October, but most Iowans will have to rely on a mixture of common sense and luck to avoid getting sick.

"Hygiene is important, but the best way to prevent the flu is to be away from people who have it," said Dr. Paul Franke, vice president of medical affairs with Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare. "Front-line health care workers, such as myself, have been asked to spread the message to people to be more conservative - to stay home from work if you are ill, and to keep your child from school if they are sick."

Swine flu is spread via person-to-person contact. Those infected with H1N1 can pass on the virus up to 24 hours before they develop symptoms and remain infectious for five to seven days following the onslaught of a sore throat, fever and runny nose. Patients age 24 and under are most at risk of contracting the bug.

Right now, the virus is milder than the traditional seasonal flu, said Angie DeVries, an Allen Hospital registered nurse who specializes in infection control. But that could change, she cautioned. The virus may mutate and become stronger with time.

"That's why it's so important that people take hand-washing and prevention seriously," DeVries said. "It's the best way to avoid getting sick."