'Here in India, swine flu continues to dominate much of the media but the general public seem to be ignoring the whole flu crisis,' Gharkar wrote.

Declared a pandemic by the World Health Organisation (WHO), over 1,000 people have tested positive for Influenza A(H1N1) in India. It has claimed 15 lives in the country, 11 of which have been in Maharashtra alone.

According to the WHO, the mortality rate because of swine flu is 0.4 percent.

While the government and others agencies are doing all they can to spread awareness about the virus, the virtual world too is abuzz with ways to prevent swine flu.

Shanku Das, one of the netizens on the social networking site Orkut, wrote: 'Washing your hands frequently helps in avoiding H1N1. Don't keep touching your nose or mouth, use a handkerchief when you cough or sneeze and observe basic hygiene practices.'

Besides the Internet, SMSes are also doing rounds among students and others on precautionary measures to be adopted to avoid swine flu.

'Use a face mask, use alcohol based sanitizers to wash hands, drink boiled water, have citrus fruits and vitamin C rich food and try avoiding public toilets,' read one of the SMSes being circulated.