As a realtor in Toronto I travel a lot through Toronto every day and sometimes I can see people wearing these face or surgeon masks. There’s about 70,000 classic influenza patients a year in Canada, with 4,000 to 8,000 terminal cases. The numbers of the swine influenza cases are much lesser so far. Up until today, there are 8,883 confirmed cases of the H1N1 swine influenza in Canada, with 36 related deaths. In Ontario it is 3,464 cases with 12 related deaths. So the question is why is the WHO so scared of this type of influenza when many more people die each year from the classic type?

Although the statistics of the classic influenza seems very serious, the truth is that it is deadly only to the weak, elderly or to very young babies. The problem with the swine influenza is that it is especially dangerous for young and strong people as opposed to small babies, elderly or weak, and that’s why WHO takes it so seriously. Also, the WHO is trying its best to provide against the big pandemic of so called from 1918 to repeat. In order to stop the influenza from spreading, it was by WHO to wear a facemask.

Just a side note – you might have heard of another 2 farmers from the Saskatchewan province a few days ago falling ill with some new type of swine influenza. According to the officials, there’s nothing to worry about, because this virus causes only very mild influenza symptoms and will most likely not spread at all.

The reasons for using the facemask

Flu is a disease attacking mainly the lungs (respiratory disease). It is mostly distributed by inhaling the virus from the mist created by coughing & sneezing of an ill person, or by touching your face (eyes, nose or mouth) after you touched a surface contaminated with the virus. The trouble with influenza is that you are contagious one day before you can feel any flu symptoms and up to seven days after the first symptoms occurred. In short, it doesn’t really save you if you only keep distance from those that appear ill.

The face mask or surgeon mask is supposed to created the last layer between you and your environment. The basic face mask doesn’t prove to be too effective in filtering what you inhale, so it might not save you from the virus in the air. But the mask proved quite effective in blocking the virus when you exhale, sneeze or cough, so it makes more sense to wear it when you are sick so that you don’t spread it more. Also, because an infected person is spreading virus before they know they’re sick, wearing a face mask even when you feel you’re healthy could slow down the rapid virus spreading.

The N95 respirators & general advice

But relying on a basic face mask for a protection from catching the virus from someone having a sneeze nearby won’t really work – you’d be better off with a N95 mask or respirator. The “95″ means that the mask or respirator filters at least 95% of the elements you are trying to avoid. That’s pretty high!

But relying totally on the protective equipment you chose is not enough without following some ground hygiene procedures. Not forgetting to often wash your hands using soap or alcohol sanitizer is obvious. Another important point is to keep using a tissue every time you have to sneeze or cough, throwing it away whenever you’re finished. Also don’t go out if you feel sick and avoid crowded places if possible.