Kirjoittaja Aihe: What face mask for what use in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic? (Luettu 1442 kertaa)

upamfva · 20.07.21 - 05:07

What face mask for what use in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic?

In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, wearing a face mask has become usual and ubiquitous, in both hospitals and community. However, the general public is consuming surgical or filtering facepiece (FFP) masks irrespective of their specificity, leading to a global supply shortage for the most exposed persons, who are healthcare workers. This underlines the urgent need to clarify the indications of the different categories of mask, in order to rationalize their use. This article specifies the French position for the rational use of respiratory protective equipment for healthcare workers.To get more news about medical mask company, you can visit tnkme.com official website.

In the context of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, healthcare workers' (HCWs) protection from contamination is based on the wearing of personal protective equipment (PPE) [1,2]. Transmission routes of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) include direct transmission (droplet, e.g. cough, sneeze) and contact transmission (contact with oral, nasal, and eye mucous membranes). The presence of SARS-CoV-2 in the environment of COVID-19 patients therefore reinforces the belief that fomites play a role in transmission of SARS-CoV-2; however, the relative importance of this route of transmission compared to direct exposure to respiratory droplets is still unclear. The wearing of face masks has become usual and ubiquitous, not only in hospitals but also in the community [3]. Without necessarily needing them, the general public is over-consuming surgical and filtering facepiece (FFP) masks irrespective of their specificity [4,5]. This may lead to supply shortages for HCWs in the frontline of patient care, as already reported in several countries [5]. In order to rationalize the use of masks and to prevent their shortage, we present the French guidelines on the indications for the use of anti-projection or surgical masks and FFP masks.

The rational use of face masks is reinforced by the World Health Organization (WHO) update published on February 19th, 2020, which specifies indications for wearing masks as follows: in the context of stage 3 of an epidemic (active circulation of the virus) and during a period of difficulty in supplying masks, or even a shortage of masks, a prioritization of the distribution of respiratory masks (surgical masks in particular) may be envisaged in order to prioritize the protection of health professionals and other personnel, ensuring the continuity of patient care in health and social care facilities and in cities [1]. As defined in the ‘influenza pandemic’ plan by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, this rationalization of mask distribution and use requires:

In France, the anti-projection mask or surgical mask is a medical device with an official EN 14683 standard description of ‘a medical face mask’ (Table I ). It is indicated for the protection of the wearer's environment, as it is intended to avoid, when the wearer exhales, the projection of secretions from the upper airways or saliva that may contain infectious agents transmissible by ‘droplet’ or ‘air’ routes. A surgical mask is designed for a single use only. It should be changed as soon as it becomes wet and at least every 4 h at the most, taking into account the conditions of use and integrity. Surgical masks must bear on their packaging: the CE (Conformité Européene) marking, the dated reference of standard EN 14683, and the type of mask (type I, II, or IIR). This last information characterizes the performances of bacterial filtration, differential pressure, and resistance pressure to splash, according to EN 14683, the last being required only for IIR masks. A medical face mask with an appropriate microbial barrier can also be effective in reducing the emission of infective agents from the nose and mouth of an asymptomatic carrier or a patient with clinical symptoms.