As a Toronto’s realtor I travel a lot through Toronto every day and sometimes I can see people wearing these face or surgeon masks. Every year there are many cases of the classic influenza in Canada – about 70,000. Sadly, between 4,000 and 8,000 of these cases are terminal. The numbers of the swine influenza cases are much lesser so far. Up until now, there were 8,883 confirmed cases of the H1N1 swine influenza in Canada, with 36 related deaths. Ontario contributes by about 1/3 of these cases with 3,464 confirmed instances and 12 deaths. So the question is why is the WHO so scared of this type of influenza when many more people die every year from the classic type?

Although the statistics of the classic flu seems very serious, the truth is that it is deadly only to the weak, elderly or to very young babies. On the other hand, the swine influenza we are currently dealing with has proved to be dangerous to mostly healthy young people. Another thing is that WHO is making sure that the 1918 pandemic is not going to come back. Because of all that, WHO recommends to use a face or surgeon mask in order to protect ourselves.

Before we go on more about the mask, yesterday you maybe heard of or read about the two farmers from the Saskatchewan province falling sick with a new kind of swine influenza. They only experienced very mild influenza symptoms and it is not likely to spread widely like the H1N1 kind that we are dealing with at the moment.

The mask: what it’s supposed to do?

Flu is a disease attacking in particular the lungs (respiratory disease). It is mostly expanded by inhaling the virus from the mist created by coughing & sneezing of an ill patient, or by touching your face (eyes, nose or mouth) after you touched a surface contaminated with the virus. The trouble with influenza is that you are contagious one day before you get any flu symptoms and up to seven days after the first symptoms appeared. So keeping distance from the sick people doesn’t really save you.

The face mask or surgeon mask is supposed to created the last layer between you and your surroundings. The ordinary mask doesn’t follow a high standard in filtering the air that you inhale, so it’s not too effective in preventing you from catching the influenza. But the good news is that the mask is quite good when exhaling – it does help to block the virus effectively when a patient needs to sneeze or cough. Considering the fact that people might be spreading the dangerous virus while still feeling healty, it might be helpful to wear the mast even before one gets sick.

The N95 respirators & general advice

There are so many types of face masks and respirators that choosing one might be a bit of a problem. You won’t make a mistake if you choose a N95 mask/respirator instead of a basic type. The “95″ means that the mask or respirator clears at least 95% of the elements you are trying to avoid. That’s pretty high!

But no mask will ever save you on its own if you don’t follow some elementary hygiene processes. For instance, frequently wash your hands either with soap and water, or use some alcohol-based hand sanitizers. Another important point is to keep using a tissue every time you have to sneeze or cough, throwing it away whenever you’re finished. Also stay at home if you feel sick and avoid crowded places if possible.

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