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Earlier this year the HHS released interim guidance for the use of face masks and respirators (N95) by the public during a pandemic.
Facemasks refer to inexpensive disposable surgical masks made of non-woven fabric, while respirators refer to the more expensive N95 masks.
In an Interim guidance on the use and purchase of facemasks and respirators by individuals and families for pandemic influenza preparedness the American public was given a much stronger recommendation for the home stockpiling, and use, of facemasks and respirators than we've seen before.
Some excerpts from this guidance:
Although not all households will have someone who becomes ill with influenza during a pandemic, because one cannot predict in which households an infection will occur, it would be reasonable for each household to stockpile some respirators that can be used, if needed, when caring for an ill family member.
With proper precautions, a single caregiver can use the same respirator several times over a day for brief care visits with the same ill person in the household,[2] so a stockpile of 20 respirators per household would be reasonable.
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Pandemic outbreaks in communities may last 6 to 12 weeks.[3] Persons who cannot avoid commuting on public transit may choose to purchase 100 facemasks for use when going to and from work.
An additional supply of facemasks also could be purchased for other times when exposure in a crowded setting is unavoidable or for use by an ill person in the home when they come in close contact with others.[4]
Now Japan is reportedly about to recommend that families stockpile between 20 and 25 facemasks per family member in anticipation of an outbreak of a pandemic influenza.
Even at only 25 masks per person, for a country the size of Japan (128 million people) that represents a need for more than 3 billion masks.
This from The Mainichi Daily News. A Hat tip goes to Shiloh on Flutrackers for finding and posting this article.
Health panel urges Japanese to prepare masks as anti-flu measure
(Mainichi Japan) September 23, 2008
A government health panel is recommending the use of masks in the event a new type of influenza breaks out in Japan, suggesting that households should store 20 to 25 masks per person.
The recommendations from the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry special conference, compiled in a report Monday, are due to be carried on the ministry's Web site in the near future, as the ministry calls for caution among residents.
The panel recommended pleated masks and those designed to fit closely to people's faces. Both kinds are made of unwoven fabric whose fibers are chemically joined. The masks are generally disposable and the panel recommends having seven to 10 in stock so they can be changed daily during the 7-10 day influenza period, and another 16 on hand, on the presumption that people would have to go out in public twice a week over an eight-week period when they could be exposed to the virus.
Masks are sold in packs at pharmacies and convenience stores. However, they are not able to completely stop people from breathing in viruses, and the ministry says it is important for people not to come within two meters of patients and to take preventive measures such as avoiding crowded places.
Gauze masks can also be purchased, but they are reportedly not considered sufficient to block out new types of influenza. The ministry does not recommend industrial N95 masks which fit the face closely, as it becomes difficult to breathe when wearing them for a long time, and they are not considered to be suited to daily lifestyle.
On Monday the ministry panel also decided to classify stages of influenza outbreaks into four categories corresponding to the number of patients to make it easier to take countermeasures. Currently, plans of action are based on phases defined by the World Health Organization that indicate virus conditions and the international spread of the virus.
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