One of the simplest and most effective ways you can protect yourself during a flu pandemic or other infectious disease outbreak is to wear a facial mask or respirator. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) , Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and even the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) have all extensively endorsed the effectiveness of this strategy. Whether you work in health care, are ill yourself or must care for an ill family member, or simply must go to into a crowded grocery store, wearing the proper device can prevent you from catching or spreading viral and bacterial infection. Along with frequent hand washing and keeping shared surface areas such as counters and phones sanitized, wearing a mask or respirator offers an additional vital layer of defense against disease.
Facial masks and respirators available on the market run the gamut from inexpensive paper “surgical” masks to industrial and military respirators costing thousands of dollars. For the purpose of providing protection during a common event such as a flu outbreak, it is not necessary to buy a full on “gas mask”. Government agencies recommend very economical disposable masks or respirators, depending upon your circumstances. There is a bit of difference in the two, so if you are planning to stock up or use either, give some thought to which you would be the better choice for you personally.
The most commonly used form of protection is a disposable mask such as doctors and dentists commonly wear during procedures. These are available in bulk and are intended for one time use. They form a physical barrier between people by partially covering the nose and mouth and blocking exchange of bodily fluids from sneezing, coughing and splashing of blood. Masks that tie in back of the head allow for a bit of adjustment to allow fit for children or adults with facial hair. Others come in a standard adult size that are held with loops that go around the ears. Facial masks, while offering enough protection that the FDA has cleared them for disease prevention, are not quite as effective as respirators. They are not made to completely conform to the shape of your face, so they still allow some unfiltered air containing very small particles to be exchanged around the edges. .
Disposable respirators offer a bit more protection if you are concerned with more concentrated or closer exposure situations where you are essentially sharing immediate airspace with another person. These are made to be personally fitted to the face. A proper fit will provide a fairly tight seal between the respirator and the face, forcing all inhaled air to pass through the filter material instead of through gaps around the edges. The most common respirators use filtering materials that carry an N95 rating, meaning they are considered to be 95% effective against disease transmission when fitted and worn properly. Unfortunately, they are not suitable for children or men with beards. They must also be used cautiously by persons with heart and respiratory diseases as they tend to heat up air that is breathed.
Either disposable face masks or respirators make a smart addition to any first aid kit. Proper use means wearing them one time, disposing of them by carefully wrapping them in plastic and then washing your hands – and above all else, never sharing a used one with anyone else. In the event of a flu or other pandemic, or even a localized seasonal outbreak, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure as they say. If you know a nasty airborne illness is “going around” but are like most people and cannot confine yourself to your own home, these cheap little items could head off potentially debilitating or even fatal illness.