Has anyone been in Ukraine or Belarus?

Does the antibiotic ointment oxolinic acid prevent H1N1? Doctors in Ukraine, Belarus claim this.?

• Post-Soviet doctors in Ukraine, Belarus, Turkmenistan are widely advising patients that if they rub the antibiotic oxolinic acid in their noses this helps prevent H1N1. Yet antibiotics cannot treat a flu virus. They claim even the World Health Organization recommends this. Are they in fact helping to spread the disease and ignorance too?

• Answer:

  The theory behind this is to keep the lining of your nose moist with the antibiotic ointment. When mucus membranes are dry, viruses can get through and start replicating. Moist mucus membranes then help prevent the influenza virus from getting through these membranes and causing illness. It is just another way to try to prevent any influenza virus from getting in your body but there is no proof this can prevent anyone from getting the H1N1. It is just like someone starting to take Vitamin C to boost their immunity during the winter. It may work for some people, it may not work for others.