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Surgical masks were first used in France in 1897, but it wasn’t until the great Manchurian plague epidemic in China in 1910 that medical staff and patients started to wear personal protection equipment (PPE) to try to halt the spread of disease (1). During the 1919 Spanish Flu outbreak masks became mandatory for Australian medical professionals.

Deadly virus outbreaks in the last 20 years, including SARS in 2003, Swine Flu in 2009 and Ebola in 2014 have meant images of the general public wearing medical and homemade PPE to combat the spread of deadly viruses are now commonplace.

Masks must be made to strict standards and patterns. These are widely disseminated, but craft groups are still flooded with suggestions from well-meaning people who want to make perceived “improvements” to designs.

Even small changes to mask design can render it useless.

As cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) ballooned last month, people scrambled to get their hands on surgical masks to protect themselves. Health officials jumped in to discourage them, worried about the limited supply of masks for health care personnel. We can understand that. Even The World Health Organization and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have both said that only people with COVID-19 symptoms and those caring for them should wear masks.

But what is the reality? Should man on the street go unprotected?

But some health experts, including the director of the Chinese Center for Disease Control an..., think that’s a mistake. Health authorities in parts of Asia have encouraged all citizens to wear masks in public to prevent the spread of the virus, regardless of whether they have symptoms. And the Czech Republic took the uncommon step last week of making nose and mouth coverings mandatory in public spaces, prompting a grassroots drive to hand make masks.

Even experts who favour masking the masses say their impact on the spread of disease is likely to be modest*1. Many are also afraid to promote mask buying amid dire shortages at hospitals. But as the pandemic wears on, some public health experts think government messages discouraging mask wearing should shift. “It’s really a perfectly good public health intervention that’s not used,” argues KK Cheng, a public health expert at the University of Birmingham. “It’s not to protect yourself. It’s to protect people against the droplets coming out of your respiratory tract.”

Experts stress that eventhough  masks are used, people must practice social distancing and stay at home as much as possible to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus. When people do venture out and interact, they’re likely to spew some saliva. When people speak and breathe and sing—you don’t have to sneeze or cough—these droplets are coming out.

Although there is some evidence that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) can persist in aerosols—fine particles that remain suspended in air—aerosol transmission is likely rare, says Arnold Monto, an epidemiologist at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. It’s mostly spread by larger droplets, “and we know that standard surgical face masks will have a modest effect on that kind of transmission,” he says. “When you combine [masks] with other approaches, then they may make a difference.”

Despite messages from some  officials to the contrary, it’s likely that a mask can help protect a healthy wearer from infection, says Benjamin Cowling, an epidemiologist at the University of Hong Kong. Both surgical masks and the more protective N95 respirators have been shown to prevent various respiratory infections in health care workers; there’s been some debate about which of the two is appropriate for different kinds of respiratory infection patient care.

Masks might work better at preventing infection in hospitals than in public, experts think, in part because health care workers receive training on how to wear them properly and because they take other important safety measures such as thorough hand-washing.  If the average person,  were taught how to wear a mask properly … that would have some protection against infection in the community.

But the greatest benefit of masking the masses, experts argue, likely comes not from shielding the mouths of the healthy but from covering the mouths of people already infected. People who feel ill aren’t supposed to go out at all, but initial evidence suggests people without symptoms may also transmit the coronavirus without knowing they’re infected. Data from contact-tracing efforts—in which researchers monitor the health of people who recently interacted with someone confirmed to have an infection—suggest nearly half of SARS-CoV-2 transmissions occur before the infected person shows symptoms. And some seem to contract and clear the virus without ever feeling sick.

A key factor pushing health authorities to discourage mask wearing is the limited supply.  They don't think it is sound public health policy for people to be going out and purchasing medical masks and N95 respirators and wearing them out on the street.What a tragedy? And they are discouraging this protective measure. 

The shortage has inspired do-it-yourself movements in many countries to produce cloth masks—which  can be a last resort for health care workers lacking other protection. Rigorous studies comparing cloth masks to surgical ones or investigating the ideal material for homemade masks are lacking.

There is conflicting research into the efficacy of homemade masks. Studies into H1N1 viruses show common fabrics may provide only marginal protection against virus-containing particles in exhaled breath. But the general consensus among medical staff is homemade masks are better than nothing when treating patients. It is imperative crafters follow specifications. The best homemade masks are made from fabric with a tight weave, and have a moisture impermeable layer and/or a pocket for a replaceable HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filter. 

I just am tightly tying a double folded big hand kerchief to protect myself whenever I go out. And I never touch it until i come back home and wash my hands with soap and water. Then I untie  it, wash it with soap and water thoroughly and dry it. Then again I wash my hands thoroughly. 

But if you don't know how to exactly do this, just throw the kerchief to a corner where nobody can touch it, leave it like that for 3-4 days before picking it up again and then wash it thoroughly. After throwing the kerchief tot eh corner, wash your hands thoroughly. 

If you choose to wear a mask, it must be well-fitting over your mouth and nose. You can’t touch a mask while you’re wearing it, or pull it under your chin for a break. It must be changed as soon as it’s wet and disposed of or placed in the washing machine carefully. You must wash your hands thoroughly before and after handling it.

If you fail to follow these precautions you could get coronavirus from handling a dirty mask.

*1 Because 1. Ordinary masks have limited effect. 2. People don't know how to wear them and get maximum benefits out of them. 3. People start touching them over and over again to adjust them. 4. They get a false perception that the masks will give full protection and tend to get careless with other  issues like social distancing and hand-washing. 5. People don’t wear the masks as much as they were instructed to and in the way they are instructed to do.

How to get the best protection from a face mask:
1 Wash your hands with soap and water before you put on the mask and after removing your mask.
2 If your mask has ties, secure the bottom ties first with a bow around the nape of your neck.
Then pull the mask by the upper ties over your mouth and chin and secure it around your head.
3 When removing: start removing the mask from behind (do not touch the front of the mask)
4 Avoid touching your mask when using it and assume there could be virus on both sides of the mask.
If you do touch it, wash your hands immediately afterwards.
5 Wash your re-usable mask every time you remove it (60°C in the washing machine) or put the mask somewhere isolated until it can be washed.
6 Make sure you wear a clean mask each time you need to put one on.

Citations:

1. https://theconversation.com/do-homemade-masks-work-sometimes-but-le...

Debate source: Sciencemag.org with some inputs from Sci-Art Lab.

 

Views: 88

Replies to This Discussion

If you don't follow certain precautions, how you can cross contaminate yourself despite wearing gloves

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How to stop your glasses from fogging up while wearing a face mask
How to safely remove gloves
1 Grasp the outside of one glove at the wrist.
Do not touch your bare skin.
2 Peel the glove away from your body, pulling it inside out.
3 Hold the glove you just removed in your gloved hand.
4 Peel off the second glove by putting your fingers inside the glove at the top of your wrist.
5 Turn the second glove inside out while pulling it away from your body, leaving the first glove inside the second.
6 Turn the second glove inside out while pulling it away from your body, leaving the first glove inside the second.
7 Wash your hands thoroughly, for at least 20 seconds, immediately after removing your gloves.

How to deal with masks and gloves the right way ...

https://theconversation.com/are-you-wearing-gloves-or-a-mask-to-the...

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For people with glasses, wearing a mask can lead to their lenses fogging, reducing their vision. As you breathe out, your warm breath shoots upwards out the top of the mask. When it hits the colder lens, it cools down, forming condensation, or fogging.

Having to keep on taking off your glasses to wipe them clear, and putting them back on again, is an infection risk. So preventing or minimising fogging is the key. Here are some tips:

1. Soap and water - wash your glasses with soap and water (such as regular washing up liquid), then dry them with a microfibre cloth. This type of cloth typically comes free with each pair of glasses. You can also buy cheap microfibre cloths from most optometrists. Facial tissues may leave lint, which attracts moisture to the lenses. Soap reduces surface tension, preventing fog from sticking to the lenses.

2. Shaving foam - apply a thin layer of shaving cream to the inside of your glasses, then gently wipe it off. The residual shaving cream will protect the lenses from misting up.

3. De-misting spray - you can use a commercial de-misting spray that dries clear. But make sure this is compatible with your lens type or existing coatings on your lens. You can buy demisting spray online or from your optometrist.

4. Close the gap on surgical masks - mould the nose bridge at the top of your surgical mask to your face to reduce the gap that allows warm moist air up to the glasses.

5. Twist ties and pipe cleaners - if you make your own cloth mask, add a twist tie (for instance, from a loaf of bread) or pipe cleaner to the top seam of your homemade mask and mould that to your nose for the same effect.

6. Tape - some health professionals apply a strip of tape that's specially designed for use on skin to the top edge of the mask to close the gap. You can buy a roll online or at the pharmacy.

7. Damp tissue - slightly moistening a tissue, folding it and placing it under the top edge of the mask also does the trick.

8. Nylon stocking - Victoria's health department says you can also get a snug fit across the cheeks and bridge of the nose by wearing a layer of nylon stocking over a face mask.

Sadly, there is no magic trick, such as putting the mask or glasses on first that will stop fogging. Improving the fit around the curve of the nose and cheeks is the best approach.

https://www.sciencealert.com/experts-provide-tips-on-how-to-wear-a-...

https://theconversation.com/should-i-wear-a-mask-on-public-transpor...

Should I wear a mask on public transport?

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First, what’s become known as the Peltzman effect suggests that introducing one safety measure, such as car seatbelts, may lead to other, compensatory risk behaviours, such as speeding. (If you perceive that your car is safer than usual, you might compensate for this by driving faster.) In the context of COVID-19, it has been argued that the wearing of a mask may make people feel safer, and hence minimise other protective behaviours which we know to be effective, such as social distancing and regular hand washing.

Although we don’t have clear evidence that this is happening during the pandemic, a few studies conducted before the outbreak found that people did indeed have worse hand hygiene when wearing a mask.

Second, to offer any protection, masks need to be worn correctly and consistently when in contact with other people. Most studies conducted so far – none of which were conducted during the current pandemic – didn’t explicitly look at the level of adherence to mask-wearing. Those that did reported variable adherence, ranging from “good” to “poor”.

It’s important to note, though, that the more severe a disease seems and the more susceptible people feel, the more likely they are to protect themselves during a pandemic. Given the high number of global infections and deaths, people may display greater than typical levels of adherence to mask-wearing during the pandemic.

Third, masks may act as an extra transmission route or prompt other behaviour that transmits the virus, such as regular face touching. To stop masks being turned into alternative transmission routes, they need to be safely put on and taken off.

People touch their faces 15-23 times per hour on average – an itchy or poorly fitted mask may mean that people touch their eyes, nose and mouth even more regularly. After touching your mask, there’s a risk that your hands become contaminated, with the risk that you will then spread the virus to other surfaces, such as door handles, railings or tables.

Fourth, UK researchers have calculated that if the entire UK population started using disposable masks daily, it would create a significant environmental hazard, namely 42,000 tonnes of potentially contaminated and unrecyclable plastic waste per year.

Also, most people will have noticed the increased littering of masks in community spaces, which may act as environmental and infection hazards. Reusable rather than disposable masks are therefore preferable.

National and international public health bodies now recommend that members of the public use masks in places where it’s difficult to maintain social distancing, such as on public transport. We strongly urge readers to carry on with good hand hygiene and social distancing, not touching their face and using reusable (rather than disposable) face coverings – and safely disposing of them at the end of their useful life.

https://theconversation.com/four-potential-consequences-of-wearing-...

Four potential consequences of wearing face masks we need to be wary of

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