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As the state's chief epidemiologist, DeMaria has become an evangelist for remarkably simple methods of basic hygiene, asserting that one of the best ways to avoid diseases such as swine flu is to follow some fundamental rules we all learned - or should have learned - from our mothers.

The most obvious and sometimes the most overlooked is hand-washing, he said. A quick run-the-water-over-your-hands-for-a-second will not do.crystal oscillator He advocates a thorough scrubbing with warm water and lots of soap, for at least 20 seconds.

"It's really that foaming, lathering action and the rinse that gets the virus or the bacteria off your hands,crystal resonator" said DeMaria,JUICY JEWELRY taking a break yesterday from monitoring the swine flu outbreak to demonstrate proper techniques in a bathroom at state Department of Public Health headquarters.

"Sometimes you want to take off the ring," he said of jewelry as he vigorously rubbed his bubble-covered hands together.

The hand-washing gospel is one health specialists have pushed for years, as repeated studies have shown that many Americans do not wash after using public restrooms. Men, the studies have shown, are typically more negligent than women.

But proper hygiene has taken on an elevated importance in the two weeks since the swine flu outbreak began. The virus has spread to more than 400 people nationwide, including several dozen so far in Massachusetts.