Face mask not effective against airborne viruses, expert warns

CANBERRA: An Australian expert warned on Thursday that face masks offer little protection against airborne viruses such as the A/H1N1 flu.

Professor Raina MacIntyre, who led a world-first study in Beijing, comparing different masks' effectiveness, said health workers involved in any frontline response to pandemic flu should instead be wearing the more expensive N95 respirator.

A N95 respirator looks similar to a surgical mask though it fits tightly to the face, and it has thicker mesh designed to filter 95 per cent of particles from the air, reported China's Xinhua news agency, citing MacIntyre as saying.

"For healthcare workers, really they should be using N95 respirators because surgical masks do not offer significant protection," MacIntyre said. - + selanjutnya

Face mask not effective against airborne viruses, expert warns