Basic Infection Control Is Advised For SARS PreventionMany Say Masks May Not Be Helpful< April 8, 2003 >From Asia to North America, worried citizens and airplane travelers are slipping on face masks to protect themselves against the respiratory illness known as SARS. Some international airlines are distributing them to passengers. But, experts say that wearing a mask may not be the answer. They say no mask is 100 percent effective against airborne germs. In fact, some people are buying the wrong kind of masks. "The masks I see in pictures in newspapers don't fit very well, and if they don't, they're absolutely useless," says James Vincent, chairman of the department of environmental health sciences at the University of Michigan. To make matters more complicated, experts still are not sure how SARS - severe acute respiratory syndrome - is transmitted. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), SARS usually begins with a fever (measured temperature greater than 100.4°F). The fever is sometimes associated with chills or other symptoms, including headache, general feeling of discomfort, and body aches. Some people also experience mild respiratory symptoms at the outset. In Hong Kong, the illness spread rapidly to more than 240 people in one apartment complex, casting doubt on the belief that it is only transmitted through close personal contact or respiratory drops from coughing or sneezing. According to a new World Health Organization (WHO) report , at least 2,671 people have been infected in 18 countries in Asia, Europe, and North America. In all, there have been 103 deaths recorded. The US has 100 suspected cases of SARS, but no deaths, reports the CDC. Casual contact a route for infection?Many experts remain confident that SARS is not easily transmitted through casual contact. "If everybody wore masks, it would be overkill," says Dr. Carl R. Chudnofsky, chairman of the department of emergency medicine at Albert Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia. "Casual contact from walking down the street or being in a store is not enough to get the disease." Dr. James Hughes, director of the National Center for Infectious Diseases at CDC, reinforced that belief. "The experience with this disease still suggests that the bulk of transmission occurs by droplets, which occur from close contact of three to six feet," Hughes says. "But, there are some features that remind us to keep an open mind, such as the role that inanimate objects might play. Those are the reasons we have emphasized good personal hygiene." "In the US," he adds, "if you haven't traveled to an affected area or if you haven't been exposed to an ill person, you're not at [high] risk. The importance of personal hygiene, and as with many infections and certainly this one, the importance of hand hygiene and appropriate hand washing can't be overemphasized. "We would like to remind everybody that if they have a respiratory infection, even if unrelated to this, it is appropriate not to cough and sneeze on other people," he says. Barbara Muzzarelli, a registered nurse and infection control expert in El Centro, Calif., said you should not treat a mask as the only possible protection from germs. "It wouldn't hurt to put a mask on, but you've got to remember to wash your hands," Muzzarelli says. "You can't just do one without the other." Scientists seeking the cause of SARS suspect it may be a virus similar to the cold virus and therefore transmitted through saliva and mucus. Handshakes and doorknobs could conceivably spread the disease. Muzzarelli added that a healthy lifestyles - plenty of sleep, physical fitness, and a good diet - may be the best defense against illnesses like SARS. With no treatment available yet, the human body is on its own. "It's your immune system, your ability to fight disease, and you've got to help it out," she says. Mask sales continue to boomSales of face masks are increasing amid worldwide concern, and some international airlines have begun handing out masks to passengers alongside headsets and blankets. A major US manufacturer producing a common type of respiratory or dust mask known as N-95 has reportedly increased production to meet high demand. The N-95 mask, which resembles a surgical mask, includes a filter that keeps out 95 percent of particles that are 0.3 microns across or larger. Other types of masks keep a higher percentage of particles at bay, but they are less common. But surgical masks, commonly used by doctors performing operations, will not do much to prevent infection in wearers. "They're designed to prevent the exit of germs from the body," says Dr. Don Milton, a lecturer on environmental health at the Harvard School of Public Health. "A surgeon does not want to contaminate a wound with his or her own bacteria and viruses, which may be totally harmless in the surgeon's mouth but very bad for the patient's open tissues." Even so, Milton adds, those infected with SARS should wear surgical masks to avoid infecting people around them, such as family members and hospital personnel. Always consult your physician for more information. |
For more information on infection control, please visit the Infectious Disease health information module on this Web site. Experts Say To Use Handwashing To Prevent InfectionsPrevention is the key to stopping the spread of many infectious diseases, and sometimes can make the difference between life and death. Handwashing is the single most important means of preventing the spread of infection. Unfortunately, improper or infrequent handwashing continues to be a major factor in the spread of disease. How to wash your hands: At home or work, wash your hands often - and properly:
How often should I wash my hands? Hands should be washed often - more frequently than most people do. Because bacteria and other germs cannot be seen with the naked eye, they can be anywhere. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), hand washing is especially important when:
Always consult your physician for more information. How Is SARS Treated?The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends the following medical treatment for patients with SARS: Patients with SARS receive the same treatment that would be used for any patient with serious community-acquired atypical pneumonia of unknown cause. Several treatment regimens have been used for patients with SARS, but there is insufficient information at this time to determine if they have had a beneficial effect. Reported therapeutic regimens have included antibiotics to presumptively treat known bacterial agents of atypical pneumonia. Therapy also has included antiviral agents such as oseltamivir or ribavirin. Steroids also have been administered orally or intravenously to patients in combination with ribavirin and other antimicrobials. Always consult your physician for more information. Online Resources(Our Organization is not responsible for the content of Internet sites.) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) |
