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FACE MASKS MAY NOT PROTECT AGAINSGT FLU
The kind of industrial face masks you can buy at a building supply store have not been tested to show they can protect persons who wear them from influenza, the National Academy of Sciences reported Thursday. And, with the masks expected to be in short supply in a flu pandemic, there is no reliable way to decontaminate and re-use them, said a special committee of scientists. ”Even the best respirator or surgical mask will do little to protect a person who uses it incorrectly, and we know relatively little about how effective these devices will be against flu even when they are used correctly,” Donald S. Burke, professor of international health and epidemiology at Johns Hopkins University and co-chair of the committee. ”Substantial research must be done to increase our understanding of how flu spreads, develop better masks and respirators, and make it easier to decontaminate them.” Masks designated “N95” have been found by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to protect against 95 percent of certain airborne dust particles. The masks are widely used, both in industries and hospitals. The committee was created by the academy after the Department of Health and Human Services requested advice on whether masks would help restrain epidemic spread of the influenza virus.
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