Every year there are many cases of the classic influenza in Canada – about 70,000.
Sadly, between 4,000 and 8,000 of these cases are terminal. Thankfully, the swine flu isn’t spread that badly so far – at the moment there’s 8,883 cases, of which 36 ended sadly. Ontario contributes by about 1/3 of these cases with 3,464 confirmed patients and 12 deaths. Isn’t it a bit strange that the WHO is obsessed with the swine flu so much, while it is in fact the classic flu that is killing the most people right now?
Although the statistics of the classic flu seems very serious, the truth is that it is terminal only to the weak, elderly or to very young babies. On the other hand, the swine influenza we are currently dealing with has proved to be dangerous to chiefly healthy young people. Also the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic sets an example which the WHO is trying avoid repeating. Because of all that, WHO recommends to use a face or surgeon mask in order to protect ourselves.
Before we go on more about the mask, yesterday you maybe heard of or read about the two farmers from the Saskatchewan province falling ill with a new kind of swine influenza. They only experienced very easy influenza symptoms and it is not likely to spread widely like the H1N1 kind that we are dealing with at the moment.
What is the mask for?
People like me ( I am Toronto condos specialist), who are in daily contact with number of different people face to face, often for several hour, should seek any good way of prevention. Influenza, or simply flu, is a lung illness. Since the influenza is a viral disease, in order to get sick, one has to get in contact with the virus – mostly by inhaling it by being close to ill person who sneezes or coughs, or by touching the face with already contaminated hands. The problem 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 appeared. So before you knew you fell ill, you might have infected other people at home, work or school or wherever you were, since you didn’t feel ill.
A face mask (or surgeon mask) works as a last barrier between you and your surroundings. The typical 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. On the other hand it’s quite good for blocking the virus to be spread by coughing and sneezing, so it’s recommended for patients that are already sick in order to block the virus from spreading. Considering the fact that people might be spreading the dangerous virus while still feeling healty, it might be helpful to wear the mast even before one gets sick.
Considering getting one?
But relying on a basic face mask for a protection from catching the virus from someone sneezing nearby won’t really work – you’d be better off with a N95 mask or respirator. N95 stands for at least 95% of filtration of dangerous elements from the air.
But relying totally on the protective equipment you chose is not enough without following some elementary hygiene procedures. Not forgetting to often wash your hands using soap or alcohol sanitizer is elementary. Another rule is to block your cough or sneeze with a tissue and discharging it straight after. Also stay in if you feel sick and avoid crowded places if possible.
Article Source: http://www.ArticleBlast.com
About The Author:
Elli Davis has been selling luxury Toronto condos for 26 years.
