Can face masks protect people life from swine flu?

Face masks part of Japan fashion chic for decades

By: AFP

Published: 4/05/2009 at 09:56 AM

Amid the swine flu outbreak, face masks are becoming a common sight around the world, but in Japan they have been part of everyday streetwear for decades and even spawned their own fashion trends.

A quarantine officer wearing a protective mask leaves Narita International airport in Japan on April 28. Amid the swine flu outbreak, face masks are becoming a common sight around the world, but in Japan they have been part of everyday streetwear for decades and even spawned their own fashion trends.

Japan's love affair with surgical masks baffles many visitors who are disconcerted at the sight of air passengers, commuters and office workers wearing the protective cotton safeguards otherwise associated with hospitals.

Gauze masks designed to stop bugs, dust and allergens are sold in convenience stores on almost every city street in Japan, which counts on 42 manufacturers to protect its population of 127 million from airborne nasties.

"The Japanese essentially like cleanliness and hygiene," Naoya Fujita, head of the Japan Hygiene Products Industry Association, told AFP.

"I think it's part of the Japanese psyche to want to protect yourself at all cost from outside diseases. That feeling is stronger than the feeling of social embarrassment at wearing a mask."

Social etiquette in Japan also dictates that people don't just wear masks to protect themselves, but also to shield others from their own germs when they catch a cold, he said.

Latest industry figures show 1.96 million masks were made in Japan in 2007, including models against viruses and bacteria, pollen, industrial pollutants, dry airplane air, and as a thermal protectors in winter.

Japan has no confirmed cases yet of the deadly swine flu that has spread from Mexico to more than a dozen countries, but sales have already soared as the island-nation anticipates the arrival of the A (H1N1) virus.

Unicharm, a leading hygiene product maker, has ramped up production after mask sales rose four times above its April target, and seven-fold year-on-year, a company spokeswoman said without disclosing figures.

On national television, experts have put under the microscope face masks handed out in Mexico and concluded that the domestic types, with their densely woven fabric, were stopping viruses more efficiently.

Cloth and brass wire masks became common in early 20th century Japan as the country started to industrialise and factory pollution rose sharply.

Their use spread during the 1919 Spanish flu, again after Tokyo's Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, and when influenza reemerged in 1934.

The mask have been a common sight ever since, with sales spiking in winter and during major health scares such as the SARS epidemic six years ago.

In Tokyo, people also use them against cedar pollen, powerful allergens blowing in from forests that were planted around the capital as part of a major post-World War II reforestation campaign.

With their ubiquitous use in fashion-conscious Japan, it's no surprise that makers have come up with masks for every occasion -- from cute pink Hello Kitty styles to upmarket models bearing luxury-brand logos.

Unicharm's "Mask Collection" featured a classy jewel-studded number and a type that stops lipstick smear, together with tips on how to coordinate them with different outfits and hair styles.

Plain or chic, the question still lingers on how well they work.

When British medical officials last week suggested that face masks provide "a false reassurance," the Japan Times daily covered the debate with an article headlined "Britain, Japan at odds on face mask merit."

Experts say the level of protection depends on the mask itself, and how long it is worn, and in what environment.

"It's better than nothing, but it's hard to completely block out an airborne virus since it can easily slip through the gaps," said Yukihiro Nishiyama, professor of virology at Nagoya University's School of Medicine.

"The best thing is to avoid large crowds, especially in enclosed spaces, because viruses can spread more quickly there than in the open where they can be killed by sunlight."

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/world/142274/face-masks-part-of-japan-fashion-chic-for-decades

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Masks, gargles enjoying surge in popularity

Kyodo News

Companies are starting to give employees face masks and gargling solutions as fear continues to grow that a new type of influenza that hasn't proven lethal outside of Mexico and its vicinity has infiltrated Japan.

Mori Building Co. is supplying face masks and antiseptic solutions to all employees to prevent them from catching the new flu, while Kose Corp. and Seven & I Holdings Co. are preparing to distribute such items, their officials said.

East Japan Railway Co. and Seibu Railway Co. are procuring masks amid rising demand in the transportation sector.

Other companies, including Lion Corp., Daiei Inc. and NEC Corp., are encouraging employees to gargle and wash their hands often, while electronics maker NEC is trotting out its infrared thermography imaging equipment to screen people for signs of fever.

Households are also taking preventive measures. Major supermarkets have noted a sharp increase in gargling solution and mask sales, with Daiei setting up "anti-flu sections" in most of its outlets.

Consumers are also starting to store instant noodles, mineral water and other provisions in case an outbreak spurs the government to ask people to stay at home.

Meanwhile, power companies and other utilities in the Tokyo metropolitan area are stepping up preparations to continue services even if an outbreak does happen.

Tokyo Gas Co., for example, might ask workers to stay in isolation at key places, such as gas plants and maintenance stations.

"We will take all possible measures as we provide a life line," Tokyo Gas President Mitsunori Torihara said recently.

Tokyo Electric Power Co. also plans to secure enough manpower to maintain core operations, such as running power plants and procuring oil and other fuels, if the flu is detected, its officials said.

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20090503a3.html

 

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Britain, Japan at odds on face mask merit

Key U.K. medical official calls Asia's mainstay protective wear merely a false reassurance

LONDON (Kyodo) Britain class="lingo_icon lingo_icon_black" v:shapes="_x0000_i1030"> appears to be at odds with Japan over the usefulness of face masks to help combat the spread of swine flu. class="lingo_icon lingo_icon_black" v:shapes="_x0000_i1031">

While Japan is advising the use of masks to help stem the spread of any potential outbreak of the virus, Britain doubts their effectiveness for the general population and has omitted their use from any public health advisories.

Indeed, a senior doctor who advises the British government claimed Tuesday that the masks are merely providing "false reassurance."

Surgical face masks are a common sight in Japan and other parts of Asia for sufferers of colds and flu, and Europeans are often surprised when they first see them being worn on subways and in public places.

Following the outbreak of swine flu across the globe, the Japanese government has been advising people to gargle, wash their hands, stay away from crowded areas and wear masks.

And it would appear the Japanese public has heeded the advice, with many travelers and airport staff donning the masks.

However, Britain is doubtful about the usefulness of the general public wearing the masks, given that they need to be changed on a regular basis, and is only looking at issuing them to health professionals.

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20090430a4.html

 

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My reaction:

 

After the swine flu virus outbreak, face masks became common things around the world but there were an argument between British medical officials and Japan over the usefulness of face masks.

 

1) Japan is one of the countries that have no confirmed cases of the deadly swine flu and they are already soared as the island-nation that prepare for the A (H1N1) virus.

 

2) Japanese people always use face mask to protect themselves, they don’t just wear masks to protect themselves, but also shield others from their own germs when they catch a cold for a long times.

 

"I think it's part of the Japanese psyche to want to protect yourself at all cost from outside diseases. That feeling is stronger than the feeling of social embarrassment at wearing a mask."

 

3) The mask have been a common things in Japan and other parts of Asia for sufferers of colds and flu, with sales, advertising and other health scourge such as the SARS epidemic six years ago.

 

Latest industry figures show 1.96 million masks were made in Japan in 2007, including models against viruses and bacteria, pollen, industrial pollutants, dry airplane air, and as a thermal protector in winter.

 

4) Many major companies in Japan already release the first protect step on their employees such as, Mori Building Co. is supplying face masks and antiseptic solutions to all employees to protect them from the new flu, while Kose Corp. and Seven & I Holdings Co. are preparing to distribute such items. East Japan Railway Co. and Seibu Railway Co. are providing masks which now the demand of masks is increasing especially for transportation sector.

 

 

5) Japan also advising other to use the mask, avoid the spread of possible in swine flu but Britain opposes and disbelieves them for the effectiveness of the general population.

 

A senior doctor who advises the British government claimed Tuesday that the masks are merely providing "false reassurance."

 

Health Secretary Alan Johnson has said that "available scientific evidence does not support the general wearing of face masks by those who are not ill while going about their normal activities."

 

6) The Britain's Health Protection Agency claim that after several hours of use, the masks become damp through breathing and start to become permeable, thereby potentially letting any virus in or out.

 

If they are used, they need to be changed every few hours to be effective and also disposed of efficiently to prevent the virus from spreading, she advised.

"Everyone would need a new one twice a day, so we would need a phenomenal amount. There is no scientific basis that they work and it is false reassurance," she said. "Money could be better spent on antiviral medication."

 

Conclusion:

 

Starting from Mexico, now Swine flu virus spread into over 20 countries around the world and it could be more. Put on a face mask is one way to help reduce the cause of H1N1 virus. It better to let someone sneeze everywhere with nothing protected. Avoid large crowds, gargle, and wash their hand after sneezing are some advise that everyone could follow to help and stop swine flu virus. For Japan, there is no confirmed case of swine flu yet, so with their advice or how they protect themselves from the new virus are interesting and might be beneficial for some people. So, a mask protection that Japanese government advises as one way to avoid from swine flu virus should be advantageous, at least it better than nothing.