Do Face Masks Really Protect You from Swine Flu?

We see more and more people wearing surgical masks.  We see them just around every corner and every street.  Even when one is shopping or commuting to work, we see many of these masked people who are scared of being infected by the lethal swine flu virus… and the trend goes on, with some sporting masks with fancy designs and colors.  The question now is… Does it really protect you?

Fact:  Surgical Face Masks Doesn’t Give You Protection Against Swine Flu

These masks are giving people a false sense of security and media should be responsible in correcting this.  You might as well dispose of your – disposable masks, for good.

These N95 masks are designed to protect the wearer from spreading his or her germs to another person.  For this, we see surgeons wear them during a patient’s critical operation.

Surgical masks have side gaps that allow one to breathe, which means that these are not effective against airborne flu, including your dreaded swine flu. For the same reason, bio-hazard scientists don’t just walk into their labs wearing these masks.

Even FDA warned the public about face masks.  According to their site, a face mask is a loose-fitting, disposable device that creates a physical barrier between the wearer’s mouth and nose, and potential contaminants in the immediate environment.

Reading further, you will see this line:

” While a face mask may be effective in blocking splashes and large-particle droplets, a face mask, by design, does not filter or block very small particles in the air that may be transmitted by coughs, sneezes or certain medical procedures. Face masks also do not provide complete protection from germs and other contaminants because of the loose fit between the surface of the face mask and your face.  ”

Now, this makes me wonder why we hear all these propaganda in wearing surgical masks to protect ourselves against swine flu.  Respirators can give you full protection, but it is not for everybody.  The FDA says that people with chronic respiratory, cardiac, or other medical conditions should check with their healthcare provider when using it.  Also, people with facial hair just won’t benefit from respirators, since they won’t have a snug fit.

This now comes down to one question:  What will really protect us from swine flu?

Even flu shots are not as effective, especially when viruses have a way of morphing rapidly into new forms, and the labs can only hope to catch up.  We can just wait for better news in the future.  For now, just do your very best to live a healthy life.