Bangalore, Aug 31 - It is not hard to find mask-wearing children in Bangalore heading to schools or young women holding their handkerchiefs and dupattas tight on their face. These are just the very 'obvious' signs of 'prevention' being practiced in the Silicon Valley of India.

Bangaloreans are fast adapting to fight the spread of Influenza A (H1N1) virus with the death toll due to swine flu having reached 20 here.

Of the 25 swine flu deaths in the state, Bangalore accounts for the largest number. Udupi's toll is two while one each died in Belgaum, Bijapur and Kolar.

'Prevention is better than cure. I always make it a point to wear a mask and use hand sanitizer while going out of the home. I travel in buses and come in contact with different people, so I take all preventive measures to avoid getting infected by H1N1 virus than repenting later,' bank executive Sama Khan told IANS.

'Having a job at hand, I can not avoid going to public places and using public transportation. So, I am just following few safety tips to keep the virus at bay,' she added.

Echoing her views, Roshini Nair, a BPO employee and mother of a six-year-old child, said she got her son checked thoroughly recently in a nursing home after he showed flu-like symptoms.

'Recently when my son had fever and coughing, I immediately took him to the nearby nursing home and got proper check-up done. Thankfully, he was not infected with the virus. But, it is always safe to be alert and act,' she said.