ROME, Oct. 19 (UPI) -- A researcher in Italy advises good hand washing with normal soap and water is an effective way of containing respiratory virus epidemics.

The review, published in the Cochrane Library, analyzed 51 studies and concludes using barriers such a simple face masks and gloves and isolating infected people are useful in containing respiratory viruses.

"There is a strong indication that introducing hygienic measures around younger children can be a very powerful way of blocking spread, protecting them and the community they live in," lead researcher Tom Jefferson of Cochrane Vaccines Field in Rome said in a statement. "Many simple and probably low-cost interventions could help reduce transmission of epidemic respiratory viruses."

The team concluded there was little if any evidence that expensive and uncomfortable N95 masks were any better than simple surgical masks.