Does Wearing A Mask Protect Against The Spread Of Viruses?

Editor’s note: This article has been updated in light of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic.

If you live in a city, it’s likely you’re constantly on high alert about germs, especially with seasonal outbreaks of flu (or influenza, as its otherwise known), or the international spread of pandemics such as SARS, swine flu, and, most recently, the coronavirus. But does wearing a mask protect from flu or coronavirus?

According to the Centre for Disease Control (CDC), masks of this type are designed to stop the spread of “virus droplets”, globules of bodily fluids “generated when infected persons speak, cough, or sneeze. These droplets, the CDC warns, "can be deposited onto the mucosal surfaces of the upper respiratory tract of susceptible persons who are near the droplet source." Basically, transferring these droplets from one person to another can cause the recipient to become ill.

In Dec. 2018, Bustle reached out to experts over at Public Health England to find out more about wearing masks and what their effects are. In response, they pointed towards a study they carried out that found that "[t]he evidence base regarding the effectiveness of face masks by the general public was observed to be particularly limited."

However, as of April 2, 2020 in the midst of the current COVID-19 global pandemic, the World Health Organisation is set to review its guidelines on face masks after a study from Hong Kong found that they could offer some protection to members of the public.

Professor David Heymann from London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine told the Independent: “As always when new evidence becomes available, WHO will be considering its face mask policies as a routine activity this week and next.”

It comes after some European countries made the wearing of face masks compulsory in certain public spaces. In Austria masks are being handed out to shoppers as they go into supermarkets, Reuters reports. Meanwhile per NPR, in the German city of Gena will soon make it mandatory for residents to wear masks while in supermarkets and on public transport.

However, shortages of surgical masks may prevent mass use by the general public. Currently the WHO advises that they are to be worn by those displaying symptoms of COVID-19, those looking after people with symptoms of COVID-19, and frontline workers.

It also states that masks are only effective when used in conjunction with general good hygiene such as hand-washing, and avoiding touching the face, even while wearing a mask. Masks are to be removed from behind, without touching the mouth or nose area and immediately discarded in a closed bin.

As for the regular flu that we see each winter, the official line with regards to prevention, recommended by Dr Richard Pebody, Head of Flu at Public Health England, is: "As well as getting the flu vaccine, practising good hand hygiene by catching coughs and sneezes in a tissue, throwing it away and washing your hands after can help limit its spread — catch it, bin it, kill it.”

When it comes to protecting yourself from flu, three rules have been embraced by the NHS:

1. Catch it — catch the germs when you cough/sneeze by using a tissue.
2. Bin it — throw it away carefully after you have used it, ensuring it does not contact anyone else.
3. Kill it — wash your hands carefully with antibacterial hand soap to kill the germs that are lingering post sneeze. In addition, a flu vaccine is recommended by the NHS for people "aged 65 and over, pregnant women, children and adults with an underlying health condition (such as long-term heart or respiratory disease), and children and adults with weakened immune systems."

If you or someone you’ve been in close contact with appears to have shown or be showing symptoms of coronavirus, which include fever, shortness of breath, and coughing, visit the NHS website in the UK to find out the next steps you should take or visit the CDC website in the U.S. for up-to-date information and resources. You can find all Bustle’s coverage of coronavirus here, and UK-specific updates on coronavirus here.

source https://www.bustle.com/p/does-wearing-a-mask-protect-against-the-spread-of-viruses-13262316