Swine Flu: Do dust masks really protect someone?

If you haven't heard about the swine flu, just redirect your browser to the CDC or CNN. The flu is being spread by pigs originating in Mexico possibly. The Mexican government is taking harsh precautions, so is the United States. In all the pictures you see people wearing dust masks, but does that really protect one from a 2 micron virus that can pass through those pores. What is really worse is the humidity on the mask which nurtures viruses to grow. Currently, the only precaution one can take is to wash their hands constantly. Currently, the lessons being learned from swine flu is our society can't really handle a pandemic. We can't control the quarantining the disease, we currently don't have the technology to stop the disease or any type of preventive care. If we lived in HEPA filtered environments, and find ways to block airborne viruses either by odor, light, or sound?