Rocket science apart, there are simpler methods at work too. Religare Wellness Ltd has come out with a swine flu kit, at its pharmacies across 115 stores in the country. It consists of a hand sanitiser, a cold/flu tablet, a tie-on face mask, thermometer, surgical gloves and disinfectant wipes. Though the company claims the kit is being produced for community service rather than for cashing in on the virus scare, at Rs 235 per kit, that hardly seems the case.

Rahul Chadha, CEO, Religare Wellness Ltd, says: “We launched this in the third week of April. We came up with this idea when the virus was declared a pandemic. The maximum sale has been seen in Delhi.”

Recently, Dettol, a brand of Reckitt Benckiser, in association with the Indian Medical Association also came out with advertorials advising the general public to increase their levels of hygiene as a preventative measure.