It's definitely Springtime for facemask makers as citizens all over the world don them in an attempt to protect themselves from swine flu. Indeed, some have taken to pimping their mask out, as did the young man below:
Facemasks actually come in two basic flavors: First are those loose fitting facemasks, like those in the pictures. They can help block large droplets, but don't help block small particles. Also, because they only fit loosely, there's lots of space on the sides of the mask.
The other type of protective gear is called a respirator. A common sort of respirator, called the N95, is shown below:
The basic differences are that the N95 fits more snugly, leaves no gaps, and filters very small particles, including viral particles. The downside--they're really uncomfortable to wear for a long time.
According to the CDC:
Consider wearing a facemask if
• You are sick with the flu and think you might have close contact with other people.
• You live with someone who has the flu (you therefore might be in the early stages of infection) and need to be in a crowded place. Limit the amount of time you spend in these crowded places and wear a facemask while you are there.
• You are well and do not expect to be in close contact with a sick person but need to be in a crowded place. Limit the amount of time you spend in these crowded places and wear a facemask while you are there.
Consider wearing a respirator if
• You are well and you expect to be in close contact with people who are known or thought to be sick with pandemic flu. Limit the amount of time you are in close contact with these people and wear a respirator during this time. These recommendations apply if you must take care of a sick person at home.
In short, both can be helpful, but neither is a guarantee of protection.
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Addendum: Your truly will be working in our medical office's flu clinic this evening. Just got fitted for an N95 mask.
By the way, it's called an N95 because it's supposed to filter out 95% of particles.
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Davis Liu, MD
Judy Berman
Barbara O'Brien
thedrmommy
david edwards
Patrick Hahn
Salon.com
Comments
:) Rated
the mask helps in both cases--protecting you from droplets but if you're sick, protecting others from your germs!
Viruses can enter the body through any opening. Mouth, eyes, ears, and every other orifice you have. They can also enter through open wounds, even a minor scratch that has not scabbed over.
You can take the steps detailed in the article to lessen the chance of exposure, but no one is completely safe, unless you're outfitted with a Bio-Haz bunny suit with a closed-circuit breathing apparatus.
you look like a comic book character from a fav Alan Moore story of mine
Its meaningful and somehow sharing this to readers like me, makes me want to surf the web to be able to get more wonderful ideas.
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