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Can wearing a surgical mask prevent Swine Flu spreading?

Surgical masks will not prevent the spread of the virus, but they can help. It is important to understand how the virus is spread to see how.

When a person has the flu they breath, sneeze and cough out the virus which is carried in tiny droplets of bodily fluids. Flu virus will be spread in this way for several days before the individual realises that they are infected. This is why it is nearly impossible to contain the virus once it has taken hold.

The infected person will commonly sneeze or cough into their hands or simply wipe their hands against their mouth. Simply eating is also a way the virus transits it's self onto hands. the virus is then transmitted again via contact with other surfaces. The flu virus is mostly spread from contact with these surfaces by another person. Key areas are things like door handles, light switches, hand rails on the tube. Hard surfaces are most common but any area that an infected person touches could spread the virus.

Once you have the virus on your hands, it is then ready to be transferred inside your body. If you rub your eyes and you have the virus on your hands this is a path for infection, so hay fever suffers beware! But the principal way if infection is though the mouth and nose, and it can get inside in an infinite number of ways. This could be eating a sandwich, scratching your nose, covering your yawn, chewing you pen etc. Even drinking from a clean glass could do it once one of your fingers stray to the rim and leave some virus there, just where your lips are going to be. This is where the masks come in. They simply prevent you from accidentally or habitually touching your mouth or nose, giving you the opportunity to WASH YOUR HANDS, killing the virus before it is passed into your body. If everybody was to wear them it would also help prevent the virus escaping from their body onto their hands and other surfaces in the first place, so even though it was too late for them at least they will not pass it on to other people.

The single most effective way to stop the spread of this virus is though hand hygiene and remembering not to touch your face. Hands should be washed regularly and before touching your face for at LEAST 15 SECONDS with soap and water. Make sure you wash right up to your wrists just like surgeons do. They should be dried afterwards, but be careful not to re-infect them through contact with used towels or hand drying machine buttons or the toilet door! Also, be aware that jewellery and watches are a prime place for the virus to lurk, so these should be regularly cleaned as well. Think about it, when was the last time you cleaned your watch or your bracelet? Perhaps un-necessary items are best left in the draw until this outbreak is over.

It is very difficult not to touch your face during the course of the day. Everyone does it much more than they think, often without realizing it. This is where surgical masks can really help prevent the virus from getting into your body. I really hope this helps.

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