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At first, I thought these were simple enough guidelines. But then I heard on the radio that a woman was kicked out of a minivan after she refused to remove her mask when the driver complained he was afraid it would scare off other passengers. That, he said, was bad for business. And he couldn't afford that in the middle of an economic crisis.

What's worse, a friend of mine reported that he had been asked, albeit politely, to leave a restaurant because he was wearing a mask. Why? The owner said she was afraid he might scare off other customers.

It seems I am not the only one edgy about this distressing state of affairs. A doctor said busloads of anxious people had been coming to his hospital asking to be checked for swine flu.

"I had cases where big groups of people came, demanding that everyone be examined to see whether they were infected, all at the same time, so they could go home feeling sure that no one in the neighbourhood was a threat to the others," the physician said, with a heavy sigh.

"That's not at all necessary. It's the result of information overload," he said.

And I thought our problem was that we weren't well-informed. Now, at least one expert says we seem to know too much.

Another medical professional warned: "Don't panic. Just because you have a fever or a sore throat doesn't mean you should rush to the hospital. In fact, taking that hasty decision may be dangerous for you - because you may end up catching the flu right in front of the doctor's room because of the long queue of sneezing patients there."

And my heart sank when I read a report on the BBC's website that quoted Professor John Oxford, a virologist at a leading London hospital, as saying: "Really, there is very little that masks actually offer much protection against. I think handing them out to the public, as has happened in Mexico, just destroys confidence."

Who should and who shouldn't wear them then? Health workers have been told to wear them, along with special gloves, if they are in contact with potential victims.

Professor Oxford believes this approach is right. He said: "They are the people most likely to come into contact with the virus, and the ones who could be passing it on."

Mexico has handed masks out to members of the public but most countries are just reserving them for health staff - not for nervous wrecks like me.

Then another doctor had this not-very-comforting observation to offer: "The problem is that when someone sneezes, he or she tends to take the mask off. I think masks give people a false sense of security."

He said if you sneeze with a mask on, the virus will be contained. So from that point of view, if everyone wore them, it might stop the spread. "Or you could get people with flu wearing them, but by the time they are diagnosed it could be too late."

Masks are not bio-chemical suits. They cover one part of the body. So your hands and clothes could carry the virus, and when you take them off, you infect yourself.

The best piece of professional advice? Cover your mouth when sneezing, and wash your hands.

But I have another question: Do I take off the mask when I sneeze? Or do I just cover my mouth? Or is it okay just covering my mask with my hands? Things do get complicated, don't they?

If that's not confusing enough, here is another piece of advice from an infection control specialist quoted by the same report: "Masks alone won't prevent the spread of the influenza virus. Basic hygiene measures like hand washing, safe use and disposal of tissues and cleaning of environmental surfaces are key to preventing infection transmission."

Fine. If only the experts can agree among themselves, that is. I have no trouble washing my hands and disposing of tissues carefully. Also, I could attempt to clean my "environmental surface" as well (whatever that means). But that's not the end of the story.

The specialist added: "A mask can be worn continuously for up to eight to ten hours. But it must be replaced if it is taken off at any stage."

At any stage? Thanks. That's a great help. Does that mean that even if you wear a mask for eight to ten hours continuously, you can still get the flu if you don't replace it "at any stage"?

Sneeeeeeeze!