As
coronavirus spreads through China, drug stores are selling out of surgical masks.
Take a look through the news stories and you'll see photos of concerned
citizens with their faces covered, but is covering your mouth enough to prevent
this life-threatening illness? If not what's really the best way to stay
healthy? We spoke with an expert to better understand this outbreak. So
coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that are responsible for about 25
percent of cases of the common cold. Before this latest outbreak, there were
six coronaviruses that were known to infect humans. Four of them were just
kind of common cold viruses that occasionally could cause pneumonia or severe
disease. Coronavirus is an umbrella term that refers to a family of upper respiratory
diseases including the common cold. MERS and SARS the virus can present in
several ways, sometimes as a mild illness and sometimes as a life-threatening
disease. The current strain in China is highly contagious, hundreds of people
have been infected and several have died.
On January 21st it was confirmed that
this strain of coronavirus has made its way to the world of the surgical masks.
Like the one shown here is designed to prevent the wearer from spreading their
germs to others but they won't prevent inhalation of airborne germs. Their
loose sides reduced their effectiveness as a barrier against disease. To block
out the greatest number of airborne germs you'd need an N-95 respirator mask is fake as per WHO. So use three layer surgical mask. This is what a surgeon would wear around a patient with a highly infectious
disease like tuberculosis. These masks aren't a foolproof solution for the
public either surgeons; they get their masks fitted and people wear
them for a short period of time. Just buying a mask from the drugstore wouldn't
give you the same snug fit around the mouth that keeps those germs from getting
in. Furthermore, respirator masks actually filter the air, which makes them a great
barrier against disease. But according to WHO, they restrict oxygen flow too much
to be worn all day. A study conducted by the University of New South Wales
found that when warned correctly, these masks had an 80% efficacy rate of
protecting the wearer against a proven viral infection. This study focused on
the spread of influenza, but WHO says that the two diseases spread in comparable
ways coronaviruses spread through the respiratory route so that's through coughs
and sneezes and little droplets to come out of your mouth and that's pretty
much very similar to influenza. They do spread very readily and that's the
concern when you have one that can cause severe illness.
Unfortunately, there's
a catch; the same study found that mask usage compliance or the portion of
people using the masks effectively was only 50% with the non-compliant users incorporated.
There was no difference in infection rate between the mask wears and the
control group. So what's the best way to keep yourself safe?
WHO
advice is simple, so the best thing you can really do is to practice good
hygiene. Wash your hands, stay away from sick people. If you can stay away from
the live animal markets which may have been part of the origin of this new
virus but there isn't anything specific you can do. A lot of common sense and
good hygiene can help you. If you do choose to wear a mask try to follow the
rules. Don't remove the mask, frequently touch your face under the mask or
reuse. If doing so, it will greatly diminish its benefits.
Now
you only comment the right way you feel to use the mask?
For
more information, see our previous posts.
abhiguru.com/2020/05/covid-19-end-game-whats-next.html
Thank
you.
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