Face Masks
Today, on the street and in public places you can meet people wearing medical masks, thus trying to protect themselves from the flu virus. Does wearing a mask really protect you against infections or is it just a tribute to the general panic to which people easily succumb?
Interestingly, people may be divided into two categories: some people always wear a mask, literally afraid to go out in public without it, while others are afraid of people wearing masks, considering them to be sick and contagious. What kind of protection do they provide and how to wear them to get the best results, and to protect yourself and your loved ones against the flu and ARVI?
The mask really allows you to limit the spread of the flu virus and protects you if you use it correctly taking care of a sick person at home.
You can buy a disposable medical mask made of fabric or paper in a drugstore. It is inexpensive and it can protect you for 2 hours before it dampens. But after that, the mask can do more harm than good. There are masks for longer use, for 4 or 6 hours, and they contain other types of impregnation, but these masks are more expensive.
In any case, use different masks indoors and outdoors, and if you touch the mask with dirty hands, then it must be discarded immediately. Disposable masks should never be re-used!
It is very important that the mask should fit snugly over the face and make sure there are no holes anywhere along mask's perimeter and the face. Instead of masks you may also use respirators, bought in general stores that sell household goods. What is good about respirators is that they sit more snugly over the face and you can change them once a day, but wearing a respirator may make breathing more difficult. This is especially true of people who have difficult breathing and coughing. Environmental health officer of Russia advises wearing a mask only to people who take care of a sick person, because the sick person feels uncomfortable when wearing masks. But this does not apply to children, as the kids can not wear a mask for a long time, constantly touch it with their hands and often remove. Make sure to wear a mask when you enter the room of the sick person and come closer to the patient.
Some people use home-made masks, four-layer gauze masks. If you sew your own mask, then wash it every day, and every two hours iron both sides of the mask. Discard disposable masks also in the trash and avoid touching the used masks with your hands. After you have removed a mask, immediately wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water, rinsing them under running water for at least 20 seconds.
Wear a mask only in crowded public places and try to breathe in fresh air on the street. Therefore use this personal protective equipment only before entering shops, subway, hospitals and other public places.