Products being pitched for the flu are spreading about as fast as a flu bug.

If the nationwide shortage of vaccine kept you from getting a flu shot this season, rest assured that businesses are stepping in to offer ways to prevent or fight the virus. But beyond following good hygiene and eating and sleeping well, what more do you need?

Certainly not the new anti-viral Kleenex tissue that boasts it will kill 99.9 percent of cold and flu virus within 15 minutes. Who hangs onto a tissue that long?

“Personally, I think it’s a gimmick,” said Dr. Nalini Rao, chief of infectious disease and director of the Infectious Disease Program at The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. “I’m not sure that’s going to make a difference compared to using a simple Kleenex and washing your hands.”

These hankies have been treated with citric acid, a fruit acid that flavors soft drinks, and sodium lauryl sulfate, found in toothpaste and shampoo.

For this special treatment, you’ll pay $2.19 for 120, 3-ply tissues compared with $1.49 for 160, 2-ply Kleenex regular tissues.

But the anti-viral tissue won’t prevent you from getting the germs on your hands, Rao said.

“Hand hygiene is the key.”

Then there’s the Germ Terminator, a new toothbrush sanitizer/storage device that uses steam and dry heat to eliminate “99.99 percent” of the germs that can live and multiply in toothbrush bristles. It’s available online at www.germterminator.com for $99.95.

A single toothbrush can hold millions of germs. They’re your own germs to which you’ve built an immunity.

“To date, no published research data documents that brushing with a contaminated toothbrush has led to recontamination of a user’s mouth, oral infections or other adverse health effects,” says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

To clean your brush, the CDC says, thoroughly rinse it with tap water to remove toothpaste and debris. There’s no need to soak it in disinfecting solutions or to run it through the dishwasher.

What about the hand sanitizers and disinfection wipes?

These are a good idea, specialists agree. Hand-washing is best, but these are handy in a pinch when you’re not near a sink or don’t have time to wash thoroughly.

Immune boosters

Many companies are pushing products aimed at boosting the immune system.

General Nutrition Centers Inc., of Pittsburgh, has seen sales of its Preventive Nutrition Immune Defense double since Oct. 6, when it announced this product would be half price for anyone 50 and older.

Improvita Health Products Inc., of Cleveland, is marketing the homeopathic Improvax Flu Defense, which the company claims has been “formulated to fight this year’s flu strain.”

Pharmacist Susan Merenstein, of Greenfield, Pa., swears by Nat-Stim, one of 18 pills she takes daily to stay healthy.

“At the start of the cold season, my whole family takes it as well.”

The pill, whose name is short for Natural Immune Stimulator, is made of a friendly bacteria found in the intestinal tract. According to its maker, Future Formulations of Tucson, Ariz., it boosts the immune response, particularly against respiratory viral and bacterial infection.

Dr. Deborah Gentile, a flu and allergy specialist in Pittsburgh, recognizes that some supplements might help boost the immune system, but questioned Improvita’s claims that it formulated a supplement specific to this season’s flu strains.

“There’s no way homeopathic medication can be formulated to attack a specific flu strain,” she said. “They can make that claim because they’re not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration…I wouldn’t invest in it at all.”

If you do buy supplements, make sure you consult with your doctor. These can have side effects, too.

Tests available

Among other promotions, Quidel Corp. of California has taken out full-page newspaper ads for its QuickVue rapid flu test with the message: “Anyone can catch the flu. Everyone should request the test.”

In the QuickVue test, a nasal swab is analyzed to detect the presence of influenza A or B. Results are available in the doctor’s office in 10 minutes. Knowing the strain can guide doctors in prescribing medication: The antiviral oseltamivir or Tamiflu, a pill approved in 1999, can be prescribed for Influenza A and/or B.

If only Influenza A is the predominant strain, the much older and cheaper antiviral Amantadine can be prescribed.

In both cases, these drugs must be started within 24 to 48 hours of the onset of symptoms to be effective. The drugs also can prevent the flu, although they may have side effects.

Quidel claims this test will prevent the unnecessary use of antibiotics.

“This should not be an issue because antibiotics are not used in influenza, unless there is a complication such as pneumonia,” said Dr. Mark Diamond, a South Hills. Pa., pediatrician.